Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

Photos taken off the Azores in recent days show that a white humpback whale mother and calf may be among the marine wildlife species’ annual migration to the North Atlantic. And that means whale watchers in Ireland may have a…

Revenue’s plans to acquire two new patrol vessels will boost the State’s coastal and offshore search-and-rescue capabilities, it’s been claimed. As previously reported on Afloat.ie, the two new ships will replace Revenue’s existing cutters and new used to expand its…

Russian vessels will be denied entry into Irish ports after this Saturday 16 April on the foot of sanctions from the European Union amid the ongoing invasion of Ukraine. As the latest Marine Notice from the Department of Transport outlines,…

A teenage sailor who competed for Tunisia at Tokyo 2020 has tragically died after an accident while training at sea. According to BBC Sport, 17-year-old Eya Guezguez drowned after the boat she was sailing with her twin sister Sarra, who…

Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) says it would welcome a review of turbine operations at the Ardnacrusha power plant around the peak time for eel migrations. The statement comes following the publication of its investigation into a report of a fish…

East Cork, Waterford, Galway and the Shannon Estuary will be the first to bear the brunt of an “alarming and startling” rise in sea levels, a TD has warned. As the Irish Examiner reports, David Stanton (Cork East) expressed his…

Farming representatives have shared their dismay at the failure to provide a ferry service to replace the suspended cable car to Dursey Island. As previously reported on Afloat.ie, funding for a temporary ferry service was agreed by the Department of…

More than 100 basking sharks were spotted in the waters off Hook Head in Co Wexford last week as their season for 2022 starts “with a bang”, as the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group reports. A member of the public,…

Anglers in Northern Ireland have described a “massacre” on a Co Tyrone river after a slurry spill resulted in a major fish kill incident, prompting an official investigation into the source. The spill on the Claggan River was discovered last…

As reported earlier on Afloat.ie, the Government has withdrawn Ireland’s bid to host the America’s Cup in Cork Harbour in 2024. In a press statement this evening (Monday 28 March), the Department of Tourism and Sport confirmed that Minister Catherine…

It’s been reported that the Government will not continue its bid to host the next America’s Cup in Cork Harbour in 2024. Posting on Twitter, RTÉ News political correspondent Michaél Lehane said: “Ministers Catherine Martin and Jack Chambers, after consultation…

A new planning regime will allow SSE Renewables to expand the second phase of its Arklow Bank Wind Park, as RTÉ News reports. Under the new Maritime Area Planning Act, the company is seeking to boost its proposed expansion of…

Ahead of its broadcast this weekend, Newstalk previews A Sea of Sound, a new radio documentary that explores the impact of noise pollution on marine wildlife. Marine mammals such as dolphins and whales effectively ‘see’ through sound in the water.…

A Northern Ireland-based yacht broker has been banned from driving in the Republic after his Ferrari was clocked at nearly 200kmh in Donegal last year. According to the Sunday World, GulfStream Boat Sales boss Niall Heaney was witnessed by gardaí…

The Great Barrier Reef in Australia has suffered what’s being described as a “widespread” bleaching event, as TheJournal.ie reports. Images captured from the air by the authority in charge of the Unesco World Heritage site reveal damage ranging from “minor…

P&O Ferries has confirmed that 800 employees were issued “immediate severance notices” with its sudden cancellation of services today (Thursday 17 March). As reported earlier on Afloat.ie, the ferry company — which operates Dublin-Liverpool and Larne-Cairnryan services — said it…

A new bill with amendments to the law that established the Marine Casualty Investigation Board (MCIB) will support its independence, the Transport Minister has said. Minister Eamon Ryan last week introduced to the Seanad the Merchant Shipping (Investigation of Marine…

The Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) has confirmed the sighting of a common dolphin in the River Liffey at the weekend. According to TheJournal.ie, the marine mammal was spotted swimming near the Poolbeg power plant on Saturday morning (12…

Italian police have taken one of the world’s largest yachts as the country continues to impound vessels and seize properties owned by Russian oligarchs. Reuters quotes the Italian government as saying the 143-metre Sailing Yacht A was sequestered at the…

Virgin Media News is reporting that a number of Dublin Port workers from central and eastern Europe are refusing “point blank” to unload a ship carrying Russian diesel. The STI Clapham arrived in the capital last night (Sunday 13 March)…