Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

A motion by Belfast City Council has been passed to call on the UK government to support Harland and Wolff as it faces administration. As BBC News reports, the council is seeking an urgent meeting with the Northern Ireland secretary…

An emergency meeting is to be held by Belfast Council on Friday in a bid to help save the historic Harland and Wolff shipyard from closure. The meeting writes Belfast Telegraph has been called by SDLP councillor Brian Heading and…

BBC News reports that the UK government has said that the crisis at the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast is "ultimately a commercial issue". Unions say the yard is at imminent risk of closure and have called for it…

Harland and Wolff workers, writes BBC News, have closed the shipyard's gates as part of a protest following news that the business is up for sale. They have demanded Boris Johnson's government renationalise the yard and saves their jobs. The…

Leaders from trade unions in the North are appealing to the new UK prime minister Boris Johnson to nationalise Belfast’s historic Harland & Wolff shipyard to save it from closure. As The Irish Times reports, unions have warned the yard,…

The Belfast shipyard at Harland and Wolff could go bust within days as fears mount over its future, it has emerged. Unions and sources familiar with ongoing negotiations at the shipyard, reports Belfast Telegraph, have said that the company could…

Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast reports BBC News, can only survive until the end of the month without a deal, Unite the Union has said. The business has been up for sale amid serious financial problems at its Norwegian…

Close to 130 hardy souls will take to the waters of Galway Bay tomorrow (Saturday 20 July) for the 14th annual Frances Thornton Memorial Galway Bay Swim. As previously reported on Afloat.ie, the early sell-out event is one of Ireland’s…

A record 24.6 million tonnes of trade was handled in Belfast Harbour for the first time in its 400-year history last year, latest financial accounts show. Trade increased by 900,000 tonnes year on year, which The Irish Times reports has…

Harland and Wolff’s Norwegian majority owner has announced it will file for bankruptcy — but the Belfast shipyard says business will continue as usual, as the Belfast Telegraph reports. The move comes after Dolphin Drilling ASA, formerly Fred Olsen Energy,…

The Titanic Hotel in Belfast has been awarded the title of 'Northern Ireland's Leading Hotel 2019' at the World Travel Awards.  The hotel writes The Belfast Telegraph was given the award at a ceremony in Madeira, Portugal on Sunday evening.…

Locals in Whitehead, Co Antrim have been vocal in their opposition to plans that would see the oil terminal at Cloghan Point upgraded to a large-scale distribution hub, as Belfast Live reports. LCC Group, the company behind the Go petrol…

Mexican tall ship Cuauhtémoc is the star attraction at the Belfast Titanic Maritime Festival which continues till tomorrow, Monday 27 May. The sail training ship is among the host of vessels — including Naval Service OPV LÉ Samuel Beckett —…

#belfastlough - In an announcement Belfast Harbour is to invest £15 million to re-develop one of its ferry terminals. The project, reports The Irish News, is part of a long-term investment strategy in port infrastructure will see the transformation of…

An event which was once a major highlight of the Belfast Lough programme in times past found a new and very active lease of life when Bangor Town Regatta was re-introduced as a major biennial event in July 2018. The…

Sunday saw the first time that the brand new RS21 keelboat hit the water in Ireland with opportunities this month to get sailing on this exciting design. The Northern Ireland RS agent - Bosun Bob's brought the asymmetric keelboat over…