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Displaying items by tag: Volumes 2020

Tonnage details for Warrenpoint Port during 2020 have been released which show they have held up significantly.

Figures were down by less than 5% on 2019 volumes and only 0.9% behind pre- Covid expected volumes. This is despite the lockdown and a complete drop off in volume for part of the year.

The robust figures have been attributed to several factors: – including a strong relationship with existing customers, an investment in the Port team; and a focused effort by hauliers to front load prior to Brexit and to find routes that minimise disruption, post Brexit.

The Co. Down port is Northern Ireland’s second largest port by volume.

It is almost 250 years since the port became into existence and later this year the Warrenpoint Harbour Authority is to celebrate a 50th anniversary.

Published in Ports & Shipping

The Dragon was designed by Johan Anker in 1929 as an entry for a competition run by the Royal Yacht Club of Gothenburg, to find a small keel-boat that could be used for simple weekend cruising among the islands and fjords of the Scandinavian seaboard. The original design had two berths and was ideally suited for cruising in his home waters of Norway. The boat quickly attracted owners and within ten years it had spread all over Europe.

The Dragon's long keel and elegant metre-boat lines remain unchanged, but today Dragons are constructed using the latest technology to make the boat durable and easy to maintain. GRP is the most popular material, but both new and old wooden boats regularly win major competitions while looking as beautiful as any craft afloat. Exotic materials are banned throughout the boat, and strict rules are applied to all areas of construction to avoid sacrificing value for a fractional increase in speed.

The key to the Dragon's enduring appeal lies in the careful development of its rig. Its well-balanced sail plan makes boat handling easy for lightweights, while a controlled process of development has produced one of the most flexible and controllable rigs of any racing boat.