Three red hulled vessels since last month have called to Dun Laoghaire Harbour, where two of these ships required the same reasons, to enable a crew change, writes Jehan Ashmore.
Of the callers, the most recent was Arctic Ocean, a Survey and Standby Safety Vessel (SSV) that last week had arrived from Oostende, Belgium.
The 436 gross tonnage (gt) was subsequently tracked by Afloat to waters off Bray Head Co. Wicklow from where the vessel is currently offshore.
According to the Department of Transport (Marine Notice No.21 of 2021) Arctic Ocean along with Faraday will be conducting a series of of geophysical surveys on behalf of Codling Wind Park Limited. The surveys (subject to weather) is scheduled from 14 April to 26 May 2021.
The purpose of the survey work (involving towing equipment), is intended to provide options for export cable routes to possible landfall options in the areas of Poolbeg and Dun Laoghaire in Dublin Bay and also in Greystones and Wicklow.
The location of Dun Laoghaire with easy direct access to the Irish Sea provides a convenient base for operations, where supplies etc can be facilited. Such is the case of survey vessels, among them Fugro Mercator for the Dublin Array Wind Farm project where such work is to last until early May.
Prior to this latest caller of Artic Ocean to Dun Laoghaire, saw the largest of the trio of ships in gross tonnage (gt), the Vos Endurance (1,734gt). The Emergency Response and Rescue Vessel (ERRV) had sailed from Liverpool Bay to berth at St. Michaels Pier (as pictured) to perform a crew-change.
Forties Sentinel (1,944gt) another SSV, which likewise of Vos Endurance made a brief berthing in Dun Laoghaire to carry out a crew-change.
The SSV had departed Aberdeen, Scotland to make en route call too to the Irish port but only for a few hours before it headed to Heysham on Morecambe Bay where the vessel remains operating.
While Vos Endurance also continues working in the Irish Sea along the English north-west coast.