Displaying items by tag: Day of the Seafarer

25th June 2021

Stena Line to Sound Horns In Port Today In Support of International ‘Day of the Seafarer’

'Day of the Seafarer': At noon today, 25 June all Stena Line vessels will sound their horns in port to support of seafarers around the world. AFLOAT adds above the funnel and horn of Stena Embla which sails the Belfast-Birkenhead (Liverpool) route, is one of three E-Flexer series of next generation ro-pax ferries operating on the Irish Sea.

At 12 noon (local time) today, 25 June all Stena Line vessels will sound their horns in port to support of seafarers around the world.

More than 1.6 million men and women are keyworkers in keeping vital supply lines open during the global pandemic COVID-19.

The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), along with industry associations, companies and social partners are calling on shipowners, masters and crews around the world to sound their horns in ports at 1200 noon.

The initiative called #ShoutOutForSeafarers is made in honour of the International Maritime Organization's (IMO) international ‘Day of the Seafarer’ to remind the world about the important role of all, more than 1.6 million seafarers around the world.

The operator is one of the largest ferry companies with more than 4.300 employees, currently operating 37 vessels on 17 ferry routes in the Baltic Sea, Scandinavica, North Sea and the Irish Sea.

”As part of our vision to connect Europe for a sustainable future, we have continued to sail throughout the whole pandemic, to keep vital supply lines open. We have transported millions of tonnes of goods such as medicines and equipment for healthcare, as well as fresh food and drinks. But, we have also connected people, for essential travel and now when societies are opening up we will reconnect families and friends again after many months apart" said Ian Hampton, Chief People, Communications and Fleet Operations Officer

He added "We want to highlight the important work undertaken 24 hours a day, seven days a week, by our key workers, the seafarers onboard our vessels, by participating in this great initiative”

Read more about the #shoutoutforseafarers initiative click here.

The sound of the horn from the leadship of E-Flexer next generation ferries, Stena Estrid sailing on the Irish Sea can be downloaded this link.

Published in Stena Line

Tagged under

23rd June 2020

Webinar: Celebrating the Contribution of Seafarers and Asking the Question 'Where Next?'

To join in the Nautical Institute webinar this Thursday you must register, see below.

The Nautical Institute is to host a webinar this Thursday (25 June) at 1400 BST (UK time).

So here's an opportunity to join the Nautical Institute CEO Captain John Lloyd and a distinguished panel of international experts in celebrating the contribution of seafarers everywhere and examining what lies ahead for the maritime industry.

The webinar will be held on the 'Day of the Seafarer' to pay tribute to seafarers around the globe, acknowledging their sacrifice and the issues they face.

Many seafarers have been away from home for months and are unsure when they will be able to return home due to travel restrictions. The panel will seek to raise awareness of the work done by seafarers in response to the pandemic and thank them for their contribution.

This webinar will also explore the future of the seafarer, post Covid 19 and in an age of advanced technology and environmental concerns. What will be the impact of automation, increased regulation and even the growing use of renewables for propulsion?

This webinar will be fully interactive, inviting questions from attendees and will provide a certificate of participation to all those who attend.

To register for the event click this link.

Published in Ports & Shipping

Tagged under

25th June 2017

Day of the Seafarer (DotS) Join Together As Their Role Matters

#SeafarersMatter - Today 25 June is the Day of the Seafarer (DotS) an annual event which celebrates and recognises the role that people have on our oceans.

The theme of this year's Dots event run by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) is that 'Seafarers Matter'

DotS was established in a resolution adopted by the 2010 Diplomatic Conference in Manila to adopt the revised STCW Convention. Its stated purpose is to recognize the unique contribution made by seafarers from all over the world to international seaborne trade, the world economy and civil society as a whole.

The resolution "encourages Governments, shipping organizations, companies, shipowners and all other parties concerned to duly and appropriately promote the Day of the Seafarer and take action to celebrate it meaningfully".

On this Day of the Seafarer, the organiers wanted particularly for ports to engage and by having seafarer centres demonstrate how much seafarers matter to them. The idea is for ports and seafarer centres to share and showcase best practices in seafarer support and welfare.

During today special activities for seafarers will be held, for example the following events:

Social events organised in port to celebrate seafarers

Public open day at seafarer centres

Free wi-fi in port for a day

Published in Ports & Shipping

Tagged under

1st July 2012

Ports & Shipping Review. Cargoships, WFSVs, Cork Ferry, IMERC, Dutch Navy & Last H&W Ferry Sold

#PORTS & SHIPPING REVIEW - Over the last fortnight Jehan Ashmore reports from the shipping scene which saw a 'Pop-Up Village' delivered by cargoship to Galway Port in readiness for the Volvo Ocean Race festival which started yesterday and continues to 8 July.

Arklow Marine Services second wind-farm support vessel (WFSV) Gardian 10 was launched for UK owners and today the vessel travelled from Arklow to Belfast Port and berthed at the Abercorn Basin.

In the rebel county, efforts to revive the Cork-Swansea route took a new step when a group was formed to ascess the feasibility in re-launching the Celtic Sea link that closed last November after Fastnet Line went into examinership.

At the Taoiseach's Public Service Excellence Awards, the Irish Maritime Energy Research Centre (IMERC) based in Haulbowline, Cork Harbour, won an award which was presented by Minister for Justice Alan Shatter T.D. at a ceremony held in Dublin Castle.

Across the world the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) highlighted the Day of the Seafarer on 25 June, where the role of those who work on ships provide a vital service in transporting essential goods on a global scale to meet our needs on a daily basis.

Dublin Port welcomed a flotilla from the Royal Netherlands Navy this weekend, where two of the vessels including a torpedo-training ship HNMLS Mercuur (A 900) was open to the public.

Today the cruiseship Saga Sapphire made her maiden 'Irish' port of call to Cobh having entered service in March for UK based operator Saga Cruises. The 706-passenger capacity ship is due to dock at Dublin Port tomorrow morning.

Former North Channel ferry stalwart Stena Caledonia which operated on the Larne/Belfast-Stranraer routes since 1990 has been sold by Stena Line to ASDP Ferry of Indonesia. She is the last ever passenger ship to have been built by Harland & Wolff shipyard in Belfast.

Published in Ports & Shipping

Tagged under

25th June 2012

Day of the Seafarer 2012: It came by Sea and I can’t Live Without It

#PORTS & SHIPPING – Today is the International Day of the Seafarer, and people around the world are being asked to use social networks to highlight just how important seafarers are as they transport more than 90% of global trade which are vital to our daily lives.

On this second year of the Day of the Seafarer, people are asked to tell the world of an object in their daily life that you can't live without, and which came by sea.

Take a photo of the object, write a description, record a song, make a film, whatever you prefer: and then just post it on the social platform of your choice and add the campaign slogan: "thank you seafarers".

Seafarers leave their homes and families, often for long periods to ensure that essential items and commodities on which our lives depend arrive safely at our homes.

So show the seafarers of the world - and your friends, too – your appreciation of the extraordinary services they render every day of their professional lives, under demanding and sometimes dangerous circumstances.

Day of the Seafarer is an innovative campaign that harnesses the power of social media to raise awareness of seafarers and their unique role. Everyone, regardless of where they live, can join the campaign online. So, on 25 June, you can join in by:

Sharing your post on Facebook, if you have pictures, videos or any special message, please share them on our wall.

Sending us a message @IMOHQ and @SeafarerDay using hashtag #thankyouseafarer

On pinterest, you can pin a picture of your chosen object with the caption "Day of the Seafarer"

For more infomation and for how participants can download the toolkits available of the campaign click HERE. In addition for a video message by Koji Sekimizu, Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

The IMO is the United Nations specialized agency with responsibility for the safety and security of shipping and the prevention of marine pollution by ships. The organisation is headquartered in London on the banks of the Thames.

Published in Ports & Shipping

Tagged under

Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta

From the Baily lighthouse to Dalkey island, the bay accommodates six separate courses for 21 different classes racing every two years for the Dun Laoghaire Regatta.

In assembling its record-breaking armada, Volvo Dun Laoghaire regatta (VDLR) became, at its second staging, not only the country's biggest sailing event, with 3,500 sailors competing, but also one of Ireland's largest participant sporting events.

One of the reasons for this, ironically, is that competitors across Europe have become jaded by well-worn venue claims attempting to replicate Cowes and Cork Week.'Never mind the quality, feel the width' has been a criticism of modern-day regattas where organisers mistakenly focus on being the biggest to be the best. Dun Laoghaire, with its local fleet of 300 boats, never set out to be the biggest. Its priority focussed instead on quality racing even after it got off to a spectacularly wrong start when the event was becalmed for four days at its first attempt.

The idea to rekindle a combined Dublin bay event resurfaced after an absence of almost 40 years, mostly because of the persistence of a passionate race officer Brian Craig who believed that Dun Laoghaire could become the Cowes of the Irish Sea if the town and the local clubs worked together. Although fickle winds conspired against him in 2005, the support of all four Dun Laoghaire waterfront yacht clubs since then (made up of Dun Laoghaire Motor YC, National YC, Royal Irish YC and Royal St GYC), in association with the two racing clubs of Dublin Bay SC and Royal Alfred YC, gave him the momentum to carry on.

There is no doubt that sailors have also responded with their support from all four coasts. Running for four days, the regatta is (after the large mini-marathons) the single most significant participant sports event in the country, requiring the services of 280 volunteers on and off the water, as well as top international race officers and an international jury, to resolve racing disputes representing five countries. A flotilla of 25 boats regularly races from the Royal Dee near Liverpool to Dublin for the Lyver Trophy to coincide with the event. The race also doubles as a RORC qualifying race for the Fastnet.

Sailors from the Ribble, Mersey, the Menai Straits, Anglesey, Cardigan Bay and the Isle of Man have to travel three times the distance to the Solent as they do to Dublin Bay. This, claims Craig, is one of the major selling points of the Irish event and explains the range of entries from marinas as far away as Yorkshire's Whitby YC and the Isle of Wight.

No other regatta in the Irish Sea area can claim to have such a reach. Dublin Bay Weeks such as this petered out in the 1960s, and it has taken almost four decades for the waterfront clubs to come together to produce a spectacle on and off the water to rival Cowes."The fact that we are getting such numbers means it is inevitable that it is compared with Cowes," said Craig. However, there the comparison ends."We're doing our own thing here. Dun Laoghaire is unique, and we are making an extraordinary effort to welcome visitors from abroad," he added. The busiest shipping lane in the country – across the bay to Dublin port – closes temporarily to facilitate the regatta and the placing of six separate courses each day.

A fleet total of this size represents something of an unknown quantity on the bay as it is more than double the size of any other regatta ever held there.

Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta FAQs

What is Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Dun Laoghaire Regatta is Ireland's biggest sailing event. It is held every second Summer at Dun Laoghaire Harbour on Dublin Bay.

When is Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Dun Laoghaire Regatta is held every two years, typically in the first weekend of July.

Where is Dun Laoghaire Regatta held?

As its name suggests, the event is based at Dun Laoghaire Harbour. Racing is held on Dublin Bay over as many as six different courses with a coastal route that extends out into the Irish Sea. Ashore, the festivities are held across the town but mostly in the four organising yacht clubs.

How big is Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Dun Laoghaire Regatta is the largest sailing regatta in Ireland and on the Irish Sea and the second largest in the British Isles. It has a fleet of 500 competing boats and up to 3,000 sailors. Scotland's biggest regatta on the Clyde is less than half the size of the Dun Laoghaire event. After the Dublin city marathon, the regatta is one of the most significant single participant sporting events in the country in terms of Irish sporting events.

How old is Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

The modern Dublin Bay Regatta began in 2005, but it owes its roots to earlier combined Dublin Bay Regattas of the 1960s.

How many boats compete at Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Up to 500 boats regularly compete.

How many yacht clubs are represented at Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Up to 70 different yacht clubs are represented.

Where do the yachts come from to compete at Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

The Channel Islands, Isle of Man, England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Ireland countrywide, and Dublin clubs.

How many boats are visiting boats at Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Nearly half the sailors, over 1,000, travel to participate from outside of Dun Laoghaire and from overseas to race and socialise in Dun Laoghaire.

What type of yachts race in Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

21 different classes are competing at Dun Laoghaire Regatta. As well as four IRC Divisions from 50-footers down to 20-foot day boats and White Sails, there are also extensive one-design keelboat and dinghy fleets to include all the fleets that regularly race on the Bay such as Beneteau 31.7s, Ruffian 23s, Sigma 33s as well as Flying Fifteens, Laser SB20s plus some visiting fleets such as the RS Elites from Belfast Lough to name by one.

What famous sailors race in Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Some sailing household names are regular competitors at the biennial Dun Laoghaire event including Dun Laoghaire Olympic silver medalist, Annalise Murphy. International sailing stars are competing too such as Mike McIntyre, a British Olympic Gold medalist and a raft of World and European class champions.

How much does it cost to enter Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

There are different entry fees for different size boats. A 40-foot yacht will pay up to €550, but a 14-foot dinghy such as Laser will pay €95. Full entry fee details are contained in the Regatta Notice of Race document.

Where can spectators view Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Spectators can see the boats racing on six courses from any vantage point on the southern shore of Dublin Bay. As well as from the Harbour walls itself, it is also possible to see the boats from Sandycove, Dalkey and Killiney, especially when the boats compete over inshore coastal courses or have in-harbour finishes.

How does Dun Laoghaire regatta compare to international regattas?

Very favourably. It is often compared to Cowes, Britain's biggest regatta on the Isle of Wight that has 1,000 entries. However, sailors based in the north of England have to travel three times the distance to get to Cowes as they do to Dun Laoghaire.

Why is Dun Laoghaire Regatta so unique?

Dun Laoghaire Regatta is unique because of its compact site offering four different yacht clubs within the harbour and the race tracks' proximity, just a five-minute sail from shore. International sailors also speak of its international travel connections and being so close to Dublin city. The regatta also prides itself on balancing excellent competition with good fun ashore.

Who organises Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

The Organising Authority (OA) of Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta is Dublin Bay Regattas Ltd, a not-for-profit company, beneficially owned by Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club (DMYC), National Yacht Club (NYC), Royal Irish Yacht Club (RIYC) and Royal St George Yacht Club (RSGYC).

What does Dun Laoghaire Regatta contribute to the local economy?

The Irish Marine Federation launched a case study on the 2009 Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta's socio-economic significance. Over four days, the study (carried out by Irish Sea Marine Leisure Knowledge Network) found the event was worth nearly €3million to the local economy over the four days of the event. Typically the Royal Marine Hotel and Haddington Hotel and other local providers are fully booked for the event.