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Displaying items by tag: Aquila

1st May 2024

Fishers Reminded of Safety Requirements for Use of Cranes and Lifting Equipment

The Department of Transport has issued a reminder to fishing vessel owners, skippers and crew of the safety requirements for the use of cranes and other lifting equipment on deck.

In comes after a recent Marine Casualty Invesigation Board (MCIB) report into an incident on the fishing vessel Aquila off the Co Cork coast in late 2021.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, a crew member from the Philippines sustained crush injuries on the afternoon of 7 November 2021 when the vessel’s crane malfunctioned due to a loss of fluid from the main jib’s hydraulic cylinder.

MCIB investigators found that an adequate risk assessment was not made when the crane was first installed on the vessel. In addition, the crane operator’s elevated control position did not have a clear view of the crane’s workings.

Fishing vessel owners, employers and crew members are being reminded of the obligation to complete and document a thorough risk assessment of their operations in compliance with the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General application) Regulations 2007 (S.I. No. 299 of 2007), as amended by the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Application) (Amendment) Regulations 2007 (S.I. No. 732 of 2007), the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Application) (Amendment) Regulations 2020 (S.I. No. 2 of 2020) and the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Application) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2021 (S.I. No. 619 of 2021).

Of note is Chapter 2 of Part 2: Use of Work Equipment, especially the examination and testing of lifting equipment, having a safe system of work and maintaining accurate and complete up to date maintenance records and registers of lifting equipment onboard. See also the Guide to the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 published by the Health and Safety Authority.

Particular consideration should be given to the hazards associated with the operation of articulated deck cranes in deck areas presenting restricted observation of working areas and/or risk of collision with structural obstacles within the cranes lifting area.

Employers, skippers and crew members of fishing vessels are also reminded of the requirement for training for the operation of cranes, that crews should be made aware of the hazards associated with lifting equipment and heavy loads operating overhead, reminding them that cranes should be operated by trained and competent persons and reminding them that appropriate risk assessments are carried out prior to crane deck operations.

For more details, see Marine Notice No 24 of 2024 attached below.

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Dublin Bay

Dublin Bay on the east coast of Ireland stretches over seven kilometres, from Howth Head on its northern tip to Dalkey Island in the south. It's a place most Dubliners simply take for granted, and one of the capital's least visited places. But there's more going on out there than you'd imagine.

The biggest boating centre is at Dun Laoghaire Harbour on the Bay's south shore that is home to over 1,500 pleasure craft, four waterfront yacht clubs and Ireland's largest marina.

The bay is rather shallow with many sandbanks and rocky outcrops, and was notorious in the past for shipwrecks, especially when the wind was from the east. Until modern times, many ships and their passengers were lost along the treacherous coastline from Howth to Dun Laoghaire, less than a kilometre from shore.

The Bay is a C-shaped inlet of the Irish Sea and is about 10 kilometres wide along its north-south base, and 7 km in length to its apex at the centre of the city of Dublin; stretching from Howth Head in the north to Dalkey Point in the south. North Bull Island is situated in the northwest part of the bay, where one of two major inshore sandbanks lie, and features a 5 km long sandy beach, Dollymount Strand, fronting an internationally recognised wildfowl reserve. Many of the rivers of Dublin reach the Irish Sea at Dublin Bay: the River Liffey, with the River Dodder flow received less than 1 km inland, River Tolka, and various smaller rivers and streams.

Dublin Bay FAQs

There are approximately ten beaches and bathing spots around Dublin Bay: Dollymount Strand; Forty Foot Bathing Place; Half Moon bathing spot; Merrion Strand; Bull Wall; Sandycove Beach; Sandymount Strand; Seapoint; Shelley Banks; Sutton, Burrow Beach

There are slipways on the north side of Dublin Bay at Clontarf, Sutton and on the southside at Dun Laoghaire Harbour, and in Dalkey at Coliemore and Bulloch Harbours.

Dublin Bay is administered by a number of Government Departments, three local authorities and several statutory agencies. Dublin Port Company is in charge of navigation on the Bay.

Dublin Bay is approximately 70 sq kilometres or 7,000 hectares. The Bay is about 10 kilometres wide along its north-south base, and seven km in length east-west to its peak at the centre of the city of Dublin; stretching from Howth Head in the north to Dalkey Point in the south.

Dun Laoghaire Harbour on the southside of the Bay has an East and West Pier, each one kilometre long; this is one of the largest human-made harbours in the world. There also piers or walls at the entrance to the River Liffey at Dublin city known as the Great North and South Walls. Other harbours on the Bay include Bulloch Harbour and Coliemore Harbours both at Dalkey.

There are two marinas on Dublin Bay. Ireland's largest marina with over 800 berths is on the southern shore at Dun Laoghaire Harbour. The other is at Poolbeg Yacht and Boat Club on the River Liffey close to Dublin City.

Car and passenger Ferries operate from Dublin Port to the UK, Isle of Man and France. A passenger ferry operates from Dun Laoghaire Harbour to Howth as well as providing tourist voyages around the bay.

Dublin Bay has two Islands. Bull Island at Clontarf and Dalkey Island on the southern shore of the Bay.

The River Liffey flows through Dublin city and into the Bay. Its tributaries include the River Dodder, the River Poddle and the River Camac.

Dollymount, Burrow and Seapoint beaches

Approximately 1,500 boats from small dinghies to motorboats to ocean-going yachts. The vast majority, over 1,000, are moored at Dun Laoghaire Harbour which is Ireland's boating capital.

In 1981, UNESCO recognised the importance of Dublin Bay by designating North Bull Island as a Biosphere because of its rare and internationally important habitats and species of wildlife. To support sustainable development, UNESCO’s concept of a Biosphere has evolved to include not just areas of ecological value but also the areas around them and the communities that live and work within these areas. There have since been additional international and national designations, covering much of Dublin Bay, to ensure the protection of its water quality and biodiversity. To fulfil these broader management aims for the ecosystem, the Biosphere was expanded in 2015. The Biosphere now covers Dublin Bay, reflecting its significant environmental, economic, cultural and tourism importance, and extends to over 300km² to include the bay, the shore and nearby residential areas.

On the Southside at Dun Laoghaire, there is the National Yacht Club, Royal St. George Yacht Club, Royal Irish Yacht Club and Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club as well as Dublin Bay Sailing Club. In the city centre, there is Poolbeg Yacht and Boat Club. On the Northside of Dublin, there is Clontarf Yacht and Boat Club and Sutton Dinghy Club. While not on Dublin Bay, Howth Yacht Club is the major north Dublin Sailing centre.

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