Russian Federation

27th August 2011

LE Roisin On Goodwill Visit to Tallinn

Following L.É. Róisín's (P51) visit to St. Petersburg, the Naval Service's OPV is on a three-day stopover in the Estonian capital of Tallinn, writes Jehan Ashmore.

She docked early this morning in the Old City Harbour and was expected to be open to the public over the weekend. L.É. Róisín has also called to the Finnish capital of Helsinki. On Wednesday she will call to Estonia's neighbour Latvia where medical supplies will be delivered in the port of Riga to be transported for the Chernobyl Children's Project in Belarus.

Her visit is part of trade-mission deployment organised by the Irish Government agencies to strengthen economic, cultural and social ties with the Russian Federation and Baltic States.The goodwill visit is not the first undertaken by the Naval Service in this region as the flagship L.É. Éithne also docked in St. Petersburg and the capital of Latvia in June 2003.

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Volumes Increase at Drogheda Port

Cargo volumes through the port of Drogheda have increased by 4% in 2010 compared to 2009 levels, notably due to the importation of agri-products. The rise in traffic figures recorded by the Drogheda Port Company, provides some positive economic news.

On the export front, the Co. Louth port performed well last year, particularly with increased volumes in cement and magnesite, bringing a boost to the local economy. In addition there was an un-expected and unique trade in potatoes, following a severe drought that gripped the Russian Federation.The inaugural shipment of over 2,500 tonnes was loaded on board the M.V. Blankenese in mid-November. The vessel sailed to St. Petersberg where a further three such shipments took place.

In order to facilitate the recovery of the economy, ports with increased capacity will play a vital strategic role in expanding export-driven trade. Plans by the Drogheda Port Company to the development of a proposed new port at Bremore in north Co. Dublin, remain a key objective of the company, with a planning application currently in preparation.

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Bilbao Returns to Baltic Sea 'Roots'

St. Peter Line has agreed to purchase the Pride of Bilbao for €37.7m from Irish Continental Group (ICG) which has been on charter to P&O's UK-Spain route, writes Jehan Ashmore.

ICG will charter the 37,583 gross tonnes cruiseferry to St. Peter Line on a hire-purchase basis with instalments to be paid over six years, with the final payment and transfer of vessel ownership in 2016. The vessel is to undergo refurbishment and renamed Princess Anastasia before opening a new second route for St.Peter Line between St. Petersburg and Stockholm in April 2011. The new twice weekly service will call via Tallinn, Estonia and will for the first time provide visa-free cruises from Sweden to the Russian Federation.

For the last 17 years the Pride of Bilbao has operated between Portsmouth and Bilbao under charter to P&O. Built in 1986, she was launched as Olympia for Viking Line between Stockholm and Helsinki, then the Baltic Sea ferry was one of the largest overnight passenger capacity ferries in the world. At 177 metres long the vessel can accommodate 2552-passengers, 600-vehicles and space for 77-trucks. She has a sister, the Mariella, which currently operates on Viking Line's Stockholm-Mariehamn–Helsinki service.

In 1993 the vessel was renamed Pride of Bilbao and launched a new service on the Bay of Biscay, under charter from her Scandinavian owners. The following year ICG purchased the Pride of Bilbao from Viking Line and she was re-registered to the Bahamas. The vessel was subsequently entered into a British bare-boat charter arrangement between P&O Ferries and ICG. Due to unsustainable losses the route closed on 28 September this year but rivals Brittany Ferries soon shortly announced they would reopen the route in Spring 2011.

Throughout the Pride of Bilbao's career under ICG (parent company of Irish Ferries), the cruiseferry has only once visited Ireland. In between Spanish sailings, she was sub-chartered for a three-day Christmas mini-cruise from Portsmouth to Dublin in 2004, where the Pride of Bilbao berthed at the ferryport close to the ICG headquarters.

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