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Displaying items by tag: Launched

The newbuild MV Glen Rosa, the second of two dual fuel ferries being built at Ferguson Marine shipyard in Port Glasgow, was successfully launched into the Clyde today (9 April).

Like twin lead ferry MV Glen Sannox, the MV Glen Rosa is being built on behalf of Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (CMAL) to service the Arran route Afloat add is to be operated by CalMac.

The 102-metre, roll-on/roll-off vehicle passenger ferry will be capable of operating on liquefied natural gas (LNG) and marine gas oil (MGO). MV Glen Rosa is designed to carry 127 cars, 16 HGVs - or a combination of both - and up to 852 passengers. The ferry is due to be completed by September 2025.

Today’s launch party was made up of Wellbeing Economy Secretary Màiri McAllan; Ferguson Marine (see ex: boss story) interim chief executive John Petticrew; Rev William Boyle, Minister at St. Andrew’s Church of Scotland, who blessed the vessel; and five female apprentices employed by the shipyard.

Beth Atkinson, a qualified welder who completed her apprenticeship at the yard, smashed a special bottling of Ardgowan blended malt whisky* off the vessel’s hull to officially name her as MV Glen Rosa before she entered the water for the first time.

An open invitation was extended to the people of Inverclyde to attend the launch, welcomed to the yard on a first come, first served basis. Many hundreds more watched the event from the nearby Coronation and Newark Castle parks.

John Petticrew, interim chief executive at Ferguson Marine (Port Glasgow), said: “This is a proud day for the shipyard, the people of Inverclyde and every individual who has supported Ferguson Marine reach this landmark moment.

“MV Glen Rosa is the 363rd vessel launched on the Clyde under the Ferguson Marine name. At around 3,000 tonnes, she is considerably heavier than her sister vessel MV Glen Sannox was at launch and sets a new record for the yard in terms of weight at launch.

“Today marks a significant milestone in the delivery of the two new ferries, following the success of MV Glen Sannox’s sea trials in February and last week. This demonstrates the hard work being done by everyone at the yard to complete both ferries as soon as possible.

“MV Glen Rosa will now take her place at the quayside, at the spot Glen Sannox recently vacated, so that her internal fit out can continue.”

Wellbeing Economy Secretary Màiri McAllan said: “This is an important milestone for the shipyard and, importantly, provides an opportunity to recognise the workers who have contributed to the building of the MV Glen Rosa. It is fitting that it was launched by Beth Atkinson, a highly skilled welder who trained at Ferguson Marine, and who represents the future of Scottish shipbuilding.

“I was pleased to be able to join such an important event for the community, and look forward to seeing Glen Rosa enter service next year and provide vital lifeline services for our island communities.”

Kevin Hobbs, chief executive, CMAL said: “It is a welcome sight to see Glen Rosa successfully launched and enter the water today. This is a step in the right direction for the two dual fuel vessels, with MV Glen Sannox completing a dry docking and further builder’s trials last week. We know how important these two vessels are for the Arran community, and for both vessels to start serving the island. We will continue to work with Fergusons to get them delivered as soon as possible.”

Duncan Mackison, interim CEO of CalMac, said: “Today’s successful launch is a positive step forward and we are looking forward to welcoming MV Glen Rosa into the CalMac fleet. When she enters service, she will provide much-needed resilience and capacity to the Arran community.”

The five female employees who were on the launch platform are:

Beth Atkinson (28): commenced apprenticeship in September 2020 and qualified as a welder in August 2023.  She is currently undertaking an HNC in fabrication and welding.  Beth is believed to be the first Ferguson employee to officially name and launch a vessel.  Beth said: “It was a privilege to launch the vessel.  I’ve never seen a ship launch before today.”

Jennifer Mackay (28): commenced apprenticeship in August 2016 and qualified with an SVQ3 in engineering technical support in May 2020, when she moved to the role of draughtperson.  Jennifer was promoted to outfitting team lead in March 2022 and is currently undertaking a graduate apprenticeship in engineering: design & manufacture at the University of Strathclyde.  Jennfier said: “I felt proud watching the ship go into the water.  I’ve worked at the shipyard since work started on the vessel.”

Rachel McLaughlin (26): commenced apprenticeship in August 2016 and qualified as a plater in May 2020.  Moved to the engineering department as a loftsperson in August 2020 and is currently undertaking a graduate apprenticeship in engineering: design & manufacture at the University of Strathclyde.  Rachel said: “It was an exciting moment, and it’s great for the local community.  My family are really proud that I’ve been involved in today’s launch.”

Kirsty Graham (25): commenced apprenticeship in August 2016 and qualified as a plater in August 2019.  She was internally promoted to a trainee manufacturing engineer in March 2022.  Kirsty said: “I was both excited and nervous watching the vessel launch.  It’s a big step in the right direction.”

Teigan McShane (19): commenced apprenticeship in September 2022 and is currently working towards an SVQ3 in engineering technical support.  Tiegan said: “It was great to see the vessel going into the water.  A great moment for the shipyard.”

Published in Shipyards

Arklow Gem became the newest cargoship for Irish shipowners when launched this morning at a Dutch shipyard where the public were also invited to view the event, writes Jehan Ashmore.

The leadship is the first of five 'G' class newbuilds for Arklow Shipping Ltd.

With a shipyard newbuild number (Nb. 454) Arklow Gem at 10.00hrs slid off the stocks at the Ferus Smit shipyard in Westerbroek.

This involved the newbuild make a launch transversely into the adjacent canal, the Winschoterdiep.

A cargo carrying capacity is over 5000 deadweight tons and the ship has a single hold that has a maximized volume of 220.000cft

A 1,600 kW MaK engine will propel the vessel that has a single ducted propeller.

As part of the routine ship building to delivery process, the Arklow Gem will be towed to Delfzijl. From there the newbuild will head into the Ems Estuary and head to Emshaven.

The port will act as a base to carry out shipbuilder seas trials on the North Sea before the Arklow Gem is handed over to the Irish shipowner.

Published in Arklow Shipping

#Ports&Shipping - The newest cargoship launched for Arklow Shipping took place this morning at the Dutch yard of Royal Bodewes which so far has completed eight sisters, writes Jehan Ashmore.

Arklow Viking, yard No. 729 was launched at 10.00hrs and forms the ninth out of 10 ordered of the Eco-Trader 5150 series designed in-house by the yard of Royal Bodewes. The inland yard in Hoogezand in located in the north-east of the Netherlands.

The Arklow Viking has a length overall (LOA) of 89m and likewise each of the sisters measure in at 2,999 gross registered tonnage. The figure though referred in the name of the 5150 series is that of deadweight total. Ships under this design series are also known as the 'V' class given the vessels begin with that letter. The previous sister was named Arklow Venus.   

At the stern the Arklow Viking is given a port of registry in Rotterdam. The major port is where ASL's division in the Netherlands, Arklow Shipping B.V. is based.  

The newbuild when completed will likewise take a repositioning journey along the canal network to Delfzijl. Invariably from there the new shortsea trader will be based for builders sea trials off Emshavn in the North Sea.

Ships from both the Irish and Dutch flagged fleet are commonplace in Irish and UK waters. In addition to trading throughout western Europe between Iberia and Scandinavia.

Published in Arklow Shipping

Irish Olympic Sailing Team

Ireland has a proud representation in sailing at the Olympics dating back to 1948. Today there is a modern governing structure surrounding the selection of sailors the Olympic Regatta

Irish Olympic Sailing FAQs

Ireland’s representation in sailing at the Olympics dates back to 1948, when a team consisting of Jimmy Mooney (Firefly), Alf Delany and Hugh Allen (Swallow) competed in that year’s Summer Games in London (sailing off Torquay). Except for the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, Ireland has sent at least one sailor to every Summer Games since then.

  • 1948 – London (Torquay) — Firefly: Jimmy Mooney; Swallow: Alf Delany, Hugh Allen
  • 1952 – Helsinki — Finn: Alf Delany * 1956 – Melbourne — Finn: J Somers Payne
  • 1960 – Rome — Flying Dutchman: Johnny Hooper, Peter Gray; Dragon: Jimmy Mooney, David Ryder, Robin Benson; Finn: J Somers Payne
  • 1964 – Tokyo — Dragon: Eddie Kelliher, Harry Maguire, Rob Dalton; Finn: Johnny Hooper 
  • 1972 – Munich (Kiel) — Tempest: David Wilkins, Sean Whitaker; Dragon: Robin Hennessy, Harry Byrne, Owen Delany; Finn: Kevin McLaverty; Flying Dutchman: Harold Cudmore, Richard O’Shea
  • 1976 – Montreal (Kingston) — 470: Robert Dix, Peter Dix; Flying Dutchman: Barry O’Neill, Jamie Wilkinson; Tempest: David Wilkins, Derek Jago
  • 1980 – Moscow (Tallinn) — Flying Dutchman: David Wilkins, Jamie Wilkinson (Silver medalists) * 1984 – Los Angeles — Finn: Bill O’Hara
  • 1988 – Seoul (Pusan) — Finn: Bill O’Hara; Flying Dutchman: David Wilkins, Peter Kennedy; 470 (Women): Cathy MacAleavy, Aisling Byrne
  • 1992 – Barcelona — Europe: Denise Lyttle; Flying Dutchman: David Wilkins, Peter Kennedy; Star: Mark Mansfield, Tom McWilliam
  • 1996 – Atlanta (Savannah) — Laser: Mark Lyttle; Europe: Aisling Bowman (Byrne); Finn: John Driscoll; Star: Mark Mansfield, David Burrows; 470 (Women): Denise Lyttle, Louise Cole; Soling: Marshall King, Dan O’Grady, Garrett Connolly
  • 2000 – Sydney — Europe: Maria Coleman; Finn: David Burrows; Star: Mark Mansfield, David O'Brien
  • 2004 – Athens — Europe: Maria Coleman; Finn: David Burrows; Star: Mark Mansfield, Killian Collins; 49er: Tom Fitzpatrick, Fraser Brown; 470: Gerald Owens, Ross Killian; Laser: Rory Fitzpatrick
  • 2008 – Beijing (Qingdao) — Star: Peter O’Leary, Stephen Milne; Finn: Tim Goodbody; Laser Radial: Ciara Peelo; 470: Gerald Owens, Phil Lawton
  • 2012 – London (Weymouth) — Star: Peter O’Leary, David Burrows; 49er: Ryan Seaton, Matt McGovern; Laser Radial: Annalise Murphy; Laser: James Espey; 470: Gerald Owens, Scott Flanigan
  • 2016 – Rio — Laser Radial (Women): Annalise Murphy (Silver medalist); 49er: Ryan Seaton, Matt McGovern; 49erFX: Andrea Brewster, Saskia Tidey; Laser: Finn Lynch; Paralympic Sonar: John Twomey, Ian Costello & Austin O’Carroll

Ireland has won two Olympics medals in sailing events, both silver: David Wilkins, Jamie Wilkinson in the Flying Dutchman at Moscow 1980, and Annalise Murphy in the Laser Radial at Rio 2016.

The current team, as of December 2020, consists of Laser sailors Finn Lynch, Liam Glynn and Ewan McMahon, 49er pairs Ryan Seaton and Seafra Guilfoyle, and Sean Waddilove and Robert Dickson, as well as Laser Radial sailors Annalise Murphy and Aoife Hopkins.

Irish Sailing is the National Governing Body for sailing in Ireland.

Irish Sailing’s Performance division is responsible for selecting and nurturing Olympic contenders as part of its Performance Pathway.

The Performance Pathway is Irish Sailing’s Olympic talent pipeline. The Performance Pathway counts over 70 sailors from 11 years up in its programme.The Performance Pathway is made up of Junior, Youth, Academy, Development and Olympic squads. It provides young, talented and ambitious Irish sailors with opportunities to move up through the ranks from an early age. With up to 100 young athletes training with the Irish Sailing Performance Pathway, every aspect of their performance is planned and closely monitored while strong relationships are simultaneously built with the sailors and their families

Rory Fitzpatrick is the head coach of Irish Sailing Performance. He is a graduate of University College Dublin and was an Athens 2004 Olympian in the Laser class.

The Performance Director of Irish Sailing is James O’Callaghan. Since 2006 James has been responsible for the development and delivery of athlete-focused, coach-led, performance-measured programmes across the Irish Sailing Performance Pathway. A Business & Economics graduate of Trinity College Dublin, he is a Level 3 Qualified Coach and Level 2 Coach Tutor. He has coached at five Olympic Games and numerous European and World Championship events across multiple Olympic classes. He is also a member of the Irish Sailing Foundation board.

Annalise Murphy is by far and away the biggest Irish sailing star. Her fourth in London 2012 when she came so agonisingly close to a bronze medal followed by her superb silver medal performance four years later at Rio won the hearts of Ireland. Murphy is aiming to go one better in Tokyo 2021. 

Under head coach Rory Fitzpatrick, the coaching staff consists of Laser Radial Academy coach Sean Evans, Olympic Laser coach Vasilij Zbogar and 49er team coach Matt McGovern.

The Irish Government provides funding to Irish Sailing. These funds are exclusively for the benefit of the Performance Pathway. However, this falls short of the amount required to fund the Performance Pathway in order to allow Ireland compete at the highest level. As a result the Performance Pathway programme currently receives around €850,000 per annum from Sport Ireland and €150,000 from sponsorship. A further €2 million per annum is needed to have a major impact at the highest level. The Irish Sailing Foundation was established to bridge the financial gap through securing philanthropic donations, corporate giving and sponsorship.

The vision of the Irish Sailing Foundation is to generate the required financial resources for Ireland to scale-up and execute its world-class sailing programme. Irish Sailing works tirelessly to promote sailing in Ireland and abroad and has been successful in securing funding of 1 million euro from Sport Ireland. However, to compete on a par with other nations, a further €2 million is required annually to realise the ambitions of our talented sailors. For this reason, the Irish Sailing Foundation was formed to seek philanthropic donations. Led by a Board of Directors and Head of Development Kathryn Grace, the foundation lads a campaign to bridge the financial gap to provide the Performance Pathway with the funds necessary to increase coaching hours, upgrade equipment and provide world class sport science support to a greater number of high-potential Irish sailors.

The Senior and Academy teams of the Performance Pathway are supported with the provision of a coach, vehicle, coach boat and boats. Even with this level of subsidy there is still a large financial burden on individual families due to travel costs, entry fees and accommodation. There are often compromises made on the amount of days a coach can be hired for and on many occasions it is necessary to opt out of major competitions outside Europe due to cost. Money raised by the Irish Sailing Foundation will go towards increased quality coaching time, world-class equipment, and subsiding entry fees and travel-related costs. It also goes towards broadening the base of talented sailors that can consider campaigning by removing financial hurdles, and the Performance HQ in Dublin to increase efficiency and reduce logistical issues.

The ethos of the Performance Pathway is progression. At each stage international performance benchmarks are utilised to ensure the sailors are meeting expectations set. The size of a sailor will generally dictate which boat they sail. The classes selected on the pathway have been identified as the best feeder classes for progression. Currently the Irish Sailing Performance Pathway consists of the following groups: * Pathway (U15) Optimist and Topper * Youth Academy (U19) Laser 4.7, Laser Radial and 420 * Development Academy (U23) Laser, Laser Radial, 49er, 49erFX * Team IRL (direct-funded athletes) Laser, Laser Radial, 49er, 49erFX

The Irish Sailing performance director produces a detailed annual budget for the programme which is presented to Sport Ireland, Irish Sailing and the Foundation for detailed discussion and analysis of the programme, where each item of expenditure is reviewed and approved. Each year, the performance director drafts a Performance Plan and Budget designed to meet the objectives of Irish Performance Sailing based on an annual review of the Pathway Programmes from Junior to Olympic level. The plan is then presented to the Olympic Steering Group (OSG) where it is independently assessed and the budget is agreed. The OSG closely monitors the delivery of the plan ensuring it meets the agreed strategy, is within budget and in line with operational plans. The performance director communicates on an ongoing basis with the OSG throughout the year, reporting formally on a quarterly basis.

Due to the specialised nature of Performance Sport, Irish Sailing established an expert sub-committee which is referred to as the Olympic Steering Group (OSG). The OSG is chaired by Patrick Coveney and its objective is centred around winning Olympic medals so it oversees the delivery of the Irish Sailing’s Performance plan.

At Junior level (U15) sailors learn not only to be a sailor but also an athlete. They develop the discipline required to keep a training log while undertaking fitness programmes, attending coaching sessions and travelling to competitions. During the winter Regional Squads take place and then in spring the National Squads are selected for Summer Competitions. As sailors move into Youth level (U19) there is an exhaustive selection matrix used when considering a sailor for entry into the Performance Academy. Completion of club training programmes, attendance at the performance seminars, physical suitability and also progress at Junior and Youth competitions are assessed and reviewed. Once invited in to the Performance Academy, sailors are given a six-month trial before a final decision is made on their selection. Sailors in the Academy are very closely monitored and engage in a very well planned out sailing, training and competition programme. There are also defined international benchmarks which these sailors are required to meet by a certain age. Biannual reviews are conducted transparently with the sailors so they know exactly where they are performing well and they are made aware of where they may need to improve before the next review.

©Afloat 2020

Irish Sailing Performance Head Quarters

Irish Sailing's base for the exclusive use of its own teams are located on the grounds of the Commissioners of Irish Lights in Dun Laoghaire Harbour.

The Irish Sailing Performance HQ houses the senior Irish sailing teams such as Olympic Silver Medalist Annalise Murphy

The HQ plans were announced in May 2018 and opened in March 2019.

The HQ comprises a number of three converted shipping containers and a floating slipway and pontoon

The HQ aim is to improve both training and educational opportunities for them, thereby creating systematic medal potential.

The Performance HQ is entirely mobile and has space for briefings and athlete education, a gym, gear storage and a boat maintenance area.

The athlete briefing room can then be shipped directly to international competitions such as the Olympics Regatta and provide a base for athletes overseas.