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Traffic through Irish ports have declined marginally in the third quarter of this year, according to the Irish Maritime Development Office (IMDO).

The lastest figures from the IMDO, a government office which provides support to national and international maritime businesses, recorded that Roll-on and roll-off (Ro-Ro) traffic declined by 1% compared to the same period in 2021.

On routes between Ireland and mainland Europe, traffic on these direct routes was down 2% while traffic to ports in the UK was unchanged.

The shift to direct routes to the EU, which emerged following the end of the Brexit transition period that ended on 31 December 2020 "is so far holding firm" said the IMDO.

RTE News reports more on the trade figures including ferry passenger numbers.

Published in Ports & Shipping
Tagged under

Companies in Ireland are using up to 20 new trade routes to get goods to continental Europe in the wake of Brexit, according to the head of business lobby group Chambers Ireland.

Ian Talbot said businesses here were increasingly avoiding the UK landbridge by using direct ferries to Europe as an alternative to avoid customs issues.

Using the traditional UK landbridge – Dublin-Holyhead-Dover-Calais – was now taking up to 15 hours longer, he told the European Parliament Committee on International Trade (INTA) on Tuesday.

“Another interesting dynamic is how trade routes have shifted with an unprecedented at least 20 different route interventions particularly for RORO (Roll-On Roll-Off) direct into Europe that used to use the landbridge,” he said.

The new routes include: Dublin-Rotterdam-Zeebrugge; Rosslare-Dunkirk;Rosslare-Bilbao; and Cork-Antwerp-Zeebrugge.

More reports The Irish Times on firms avoiding the UK landbridge. 

Published in Ports & Shipping

CLdN Ro Ro S.A. which is the largest shipping line connecting Ireland and continental Europe says it can “dramatically” increase its services if there is a hard Brexit.

The Luxembourg-based shipping line, The Irish Times reports, operates direct ferries seven days a week between Irish ports and mainland Europe, connecting Dublin with Zeebrugge in Belgium and Rotterdam in the Netherlands, and Cork with Zeebrugge with journey times of about 38 hours.

Sjors Bosvelt, CLdN’s head of sales based in Rotterdam, said the shipping line has plans in place to provide further services should a disorderly Brexit at the end of the standstill period on December 31st result in delays with new checks at British ports that congest the landbridge.

“We have contingencies to allow us to dramatically increase capacity in the event that there is a hard Brexit,” he said.

“With our own fleet of vehicles, we have, to a large extent, flexibility in allocating capacity to where demand is, answering to the volatility in each market.”

More here including the stalled talks of the UK-EU negotiations. 

In addition to Afloat's coverage of Celine's naming ceremony as alluded in the photo caption.

Published in Ferry

#Ports&Shipping - A post-Brexit new shipping route will see Ireland connected to Europe via the Netherlands and Belgium under EU contingency plans.

The European Commission reports The Independent has adopted a proposal which will see Dublin and Cork ports connected with Zeebrugge and Antwerp in Belgium and Rotterdam in the Netherlands - but does not include French ports.

The realignment of the EU's strategic transport corridor, the North Sea-Mediterranean route, is part of Europe's 'Brexit preparedness' measures.

The route has been redrawn as part of efforts to allow Irish trade a means of circumventing UK customs checks post-Brexit and to find alternatives to the land-bridge over Britain.

To read more including what Fine Gael MEP Brian Hayes has to say on the contungency plans, click here.

Published in Ports & Shipping

Irish Sailing Club of the Year Award

This unique and informal competition was inaugurated in 1979, with Mitsubishi Motors becoming main sponsors in 1986. The purpose of the award is to highlight and honour the voluntary effort which goes into creating and maintaining the unrivalled success of Ireland's yacht and sailing clubs. 

In making their assessment, the adjudicators take many factors into consideration. In addition to the obvious one of sailing success at local, national and international level, considerable attention is also paid to the satisfaction which members in every branch of sailing and boating feel with the way their club is run, and how effectively it meets their specific needs, while also encouraging sailing development and training.

The successful staging of events, whether local, national or international, is also a factor in making the assessment, and the adjudicators place particular emphasis on the level of effective voluntary input which the membership is ready and willing to give in support of their club's activities.

The importance of a dynamic and fruitful interaction with the local community is emphasised, and also with the relevant governmental and sporting bodies, both at local and national level. The adjudicators expect to find a genuine sense of continuity in club life and administration. Thus although the award is held in a specific year in celebration of achievements in the previous year, it is intended that it should reflect an ongoing story of success and well-planned programmes for future implementation. 

Over the years, the adjudication system has been continually refined in order to be able to make realistic comparisons between clubs of varying types and size. With the competition's expansion to include class associations and specialist national watersports bodies, the "Club of the Year" competition continues to keep pace with developing trends, while at the same time reflecting the fact that Ireland's leading sailing clubs are themselves national and global pace-setters

Irish Sailing Club of the Year Award FAQs

The purpose of the award is to highlight and honour the voluntary effort which goes into creating and maintaining the unrivalled success of Ireland's yacht and sailing clubs.

A ship's wheel engraved with the names of all the past winners.

The Sailing Club of the Year competition began in 1979.

PR consultant Sean O’Shea (a member of Clontarf Y & BC) had the idea of a trophy which would somehow honour the ordinary sailing club members, volunteers and sailing participants, who may not have personally won prizes, to feel a sense of identity and reward and special pride in their club. Initially some sort of direct inter-club contest was envisaged, but sailing journalist W M Nixon suggested that a way could be found for the comparative evaluation of the achievements and quality of clubs despite their significant differences in size and style.

The award recognises local, national & international sailing success by the winning club's members in both racing and cruising, the completion of a varied and useful sailing and social programme at the club, the fulfilling by the club of its significant and socially-aware role in the community, and the evidence of a genuine feeling among all members that the club meets their individual needs afloat and ashore.

The first club of the Year winner in 1979 was Wicklow Sailing Club.

Royal Cork Yacht Club has won the award most, seven times in all in 1987, 1992, 1997, 2000, 2006, 2015 & 2020.

The National YC has won six times, in 1981, 1985, 1993, 1996, 2012 & 2018.

Howth Yacht Club has won five times, in 1982, 1986, 1995, 2009 & 2019

Ireland is loosely divided into regions with the obviously high-achieving clubs from each area recommended through an informal nationwide panel of local sailors going into a long-list, which is then whittled down to a short-list of between three and eight clubs.

The final short-list is evaluated by an anonymous team based on experienced sailors, sailing journalists and sponsors’ representatives

From 1979 to 2020 the Sailing Club of the Year Award winners are:

  • 1979 Wicklow SC
  • 1980 Malahide YC
  • 1981 National YC
  • 1982 Howth YC
  • 1983 Royal St George YC
  • 1984 Dundalk SC
  • 1985 National YC (Sponsorship by Mitsubishi Motors began in 1985-86)
  • 1986 Howth YC
  • 1987 Royal Cork YC
  • 1988 Dublin University SC
  • 1989 Irish Cruising. Club
  • 1990 Glenans Irish SC
  • 1991 Galway Bay SC
  • 1992 Royal Cork YC
  • 1993 National YC & Cumann Badoiri Naomh Bhreannain (Dingle) (after 1993, year indicated is one in which trophy is held)
  • 1995 Howth Yacht Club
  • 1996 National Yacht Club
  • 1997 Royal Cork Yacht Club
  • 1998 Kinsale Yacht Club
  • 1999 Poolbeg Yacht & Boat Club
  • 2000 Royal Cork Yacht Club (in 2000, competition extended to include class associations and specialist organisations)
  • 2001 Howth Sailing Club Seventeen Footer Association
  • 2002 Galway Bay Sailing Club
  • 2003 Coiste an Asgard
  • 2004 Royal St George Yacht Club
  • 2005 Lough Derg Yacht Club
  • 2006 Royal Cork Yacht Club (Water Club of the Harbour of Cork)
  • 2007 Dublin Bay Sailing Club
  • 2008 Lough Ree YC & Shannon One Design Assoc.
  • 2009 Howth Yacht Club
  • 2010 Royal St George YC
  • 2011 Irish Cruiser Racing Association
  • 2012 National Yacht Club
  • 2013 Royal St George YC
  • 2014 Kinsale YC
  • 2015 Royal Cork Yacht Club
  • 2016 Royal Irish Yacht Club
  • 2017 Wicklow Sailing Club
  • 2018 National Yacht Club
  • 2019 Howth Yacht Club
  • 2020 Royal Cork Yacht Club

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