Jehan Ashmore

Jehan Ashmore is a marine correspondent, researcher and photographer, specialising in Irish ports, shipping and the ferry sector serving the UK and directly to mainland Europe. Jehan also occasionally writes a column, 'Maritime' Dalkey for the (Dalkey Community Council Newsletter) in addition to contributing to UK marine periodicals.

Trinity House is to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day landings in northern France. As part of events, on 14 May, the D-Day Torch will be in advance at Trinity House in London on its journey of commemoration from the UK to Normandy. Above Roland Langmaid's painting of Juno Lightvessel and THV Warden off ‘Juno Beach’, Normandy, June 1944.

Trinity House to Mark 80th Anniversary of D-Day With Events to Include Torch Ceremony

13th May 2024 Lighthouses

Trinity House, the General Lighthouse Authority (GLA) for England, Wales, Channel Islands and Gibraltar, will join the international commemoration events of the D-Day Landings with its own story of tight planning and close collaboration in service of the historic Operation Overlord. In…

Manannan on berthing trials at the new Liverpool terminal, where the seasonal route will connect between north-west England and Douglas; however it won't be open in time for the TT Races.

Isle of Man New Ferry Terminal in Liverpool Won't be Open in Time for TT

13th May 2024 Ferry

On Merseyside, the new Isle of Man Steam Packet Co. ferry terminal in Liverpool won’t be open in time for this year’s TT. The £70 million facility at the Princes Half-Tide Dock, where work began in 2019 has been plagued…

An anchor at the RMS Tayleur Memorial in Rush, Co. Dublin

Talk: ‘Sinking of the Sailing Ship Tayleur, 1854’ at Rush Library This Thursday

13th May 2024 Historic Boats

Edward J. Bourke will give a talk on the 'Sinking of the Sailing Ship Tayleur, 1854' at Rush Library this Thursday, 16th May at 6.30 pm. To attend the talk, booking is available through Fingal Libraries (see details below). The…

Crowd-puller: The arrival of the Norwegian Star, the largest ever cruise ship to visit Galway Bay this weekend, is expected to draw huge crowds to flock and see the ‘star’ ship. The occasion is also to mark the first call to the mid-west port by Norwegian Cruise Line.

This Weekend Sees 'Largest Ever Cruise Ship' to Galway with Thousands on Board €350 Million Ship

10th May 2024 Galway Harbour

Galway Bay is to see one of the largest cruise ships ever to anchor offshore of the city over the weekend, as the 91,000 gross tonnage vessel arrives with passengers to explore the west of Ireland. The 2,400 passenger Norwegian…

Pembroke Port, which is owned and operated by the Port of Milford Haven, has welcomed the first customer to its new pontoons to facilitate workboats.

Pembroke Port in Milford Haven Welcomes First Vessel to New Workboat Pontoons

10th May 2024 Ports & Shipping

In South Wales, Pembroke Port, which is owned and operated by the Port of Milford Haven, has welcomed the first customer to its new workboat pontoons. The infrastructure was installed as part of the Pembroke Dock Marine project to modernise…

Seabourn Venture, at anchorage off Schull Harbour in West Cork this week, is the first cruise ship of the season. The arrival of a prestigious high-end operator, Seabourn, with international visitors is a valuable contributor not only to the local economy but also to the region’s reputation and visibility.

First Cruise Caller to West Cork Welcomed as Seabourn Venture Anchors off Schull Harbour

10th May 2024 Cruise Liners

The first cruise ship of the season in West Cork was welcomed by Cork County Council to its harbours, Schull and Kinsale, located in Ireland’s largest county. The ultra-luxury expedition cruise ship Seabourn Venture, as Afloat previously reported visiting Killybegs,…

Seismic support ship Mainport Ceder called to its owners’ homeport of Cork, where a class annual inspection of the vessel took place with the ship classification society, (BV) Bureau Veritas. In addition, the brief call-in between seismic project contracts involved a crew change, with some members from both crews seen above at a city centre quay.

Mainport Welcomes Brief Call of Seismic Support Ship to Homeport of Cork

9th May 2024 Cork Harbour

Irish Mainport Holdings was delighted to welcome one of their two seismic support ships, Mainport Cedar, when the vessel made a brief call to Cork Harbour recently. The 54.6m length overall (LOA) Mainport Cedar, made the call to the Port…

Revenues at Irish Continental Group (ICG) were up 8.3% in the first four months of this year, according to today’s trading statement. Above, chartered cruise ferry Oscar Wilde, when providing dry-dock cover on the Rosslare-Pembroke route, is currently operating Dublin-Holyhead and between the capital and Cherbourg, France.

Irish Ferries Owner ICG Reports Revenues Up 8% in Early 2024

9th May 2024 Irish Ferries

The Irish Continental Group (ICG), the parent company of Irish Ferries, has reported revenues of €177 million for the first quarter of this year; this reflects an increase of 8.3% when compared with the same time last year. In a…

The boss of P&O Ferries, Peter Hebblethwaite, earned more than half a million pounds last year. Above: amidships of newbuild P&O Liberté, which officially joined its twin Fusion-class fleetmate, P&O Pioneer, on the company’s flagship Dover-Calais service, as Afloat previously reported.

Boss of P&O Ferries Admits He Couldn't Live on £4.87 an Hour

8th May 2024 Ferry

The boss of P&O Ferries admitted at a Westminster committee hearing, that he couldn't live on the £4.87 an hour some of its crew are paid, he told MPs at the Houses of Parliament. Chief executive Peter Hebblethwaite also revealed at…

BG Freight Line (a subsidiary of Peel Ports Group) has launched four new container vessels in a bid to drive sustainability across the shipping centre. The newbuild quartet, named to reflect their striking colours, BG Green (in service, with ‘scrubber’ at the stern), BG Blue, BG Red, and BG Orange, uses state-of-the-art scrubbers and is designed to help its customers significantly reduce carbon emissions. They will operate between Liverpool-Rotterdam, Afloat adds, as part of BG Freight Line’s network connecting UK, Ireland and near mainland Europe linking France, Belgium and The Netherlands.

Container Operator BG Freight Line Launches Greenest Newbuild Vessels to Drive Sustainability

8th May 2024 Ports & Shipping

Short-sea container feeder operator BG Freight Line has unveiled its greenest ships yet with four new lo-lo vessels that will help its customers significantly reduce their carbon emissions. The new ships will use a state-of-the-art scrubber to catch CO2 and…

Stena Ro Ro is to increase cargo capacity by 30% for the 2002-built freight twins, Stena Foreteller and Stena Forerunner. The vessels (Afloat add of the 4Runner class) after conversion will be ready to meet future efficiency requirements when the works are due to be completed in 2025. A half-sister Stena Carrier made a call to Dun Laoghaire Harbour in 2018 to undergo ‘survey work’.

Stena Line to Increase Cargo Capacity by 30% on Twin ‘4-Runner’ Class Vessels

8th May 2024 Stena Line

On behalf of Swedish ferry operator Stena Line, Stena RoRo has signed a conversion contract with China Merchants Jinling (Weihai) Shipyard for the installation of an additional cargo deck on board the Stena Foreteller and a twin, Stena Forerunner. The…

Cunard's Queen Anne arrived in the UK at the Port of Southampton for a blessing by Bishop Philip Mounstephen, Bishop of Winchester. The newbuild’s captain is Inger Klein Thorhauge, and an exchange of plaques to officially welcome the cruise ship took place at the vessel’s home port of Southampton, Hampshire, from where the newbuild made its maiden voyage on 3 May

Cunard’s Newest Ship Sails to Southampton for Inaugural Visit & Maiden Voyage

8th May 2024 Cruise Liners

Cunard Line’s Queen Anne, the newest cruise ship addition to their prestigious fleet, arrived in the UK at the Port of Southampton. This historic moment took place on the last day of April, and the occasion marks the first time…

Member of the Grimaldi Group, Atlantic Container line AB (ACL) is teaming up with BG Freight Line (BGFL) and Peel Ports in Liverpool and Dublin Port to provide a new service to significantly improve transit times in both directions between Ireland and North America. This first ‘eastbound’ sailing for this new integrated service will be operated by combination container/ro-ro (conro) Atlantic Sun (above photo), sailing New York, May 10, Baltimore, May 13, Norfolk, May 14, Halifax, May 16, connecting in Liverpool with JSP Anna, arriving Dublin, May 26 and Belfast, May 27. The ship belonging to the ‘G4’ Class are the largest conro’s in the world.

Atlantic Container Line (ACL) Announces New Faster Service between North America and Ireland

7th May 2024 Ports & Shipping

Atlantic Container Line AB (ACL) is teaming up with BG Freight Line (BGFL) and Peel Ports in Liverpool and Dublin Port to provide a new service that will significantly improve transit times and reliability in both directions between Ireland and…

An investigation has begun by Wexford County Council into an oil spill off the coastline, which has affected some wildlife. Kildare Wildlife Rescue had received reports of oiled seabirds, predominantly Common Guillemots, in a number of locations yesterday, between Carnsore Point in Co. Wexford and as far north as Dalkey Island off Co. Dublin. Wildlife agencies seek public support in reporting.

Reports of Oiled Seabirds off the Wicklow and Wexford Coasts

3rd May 2024 Marine Wildlife

An investigation by Wexford County Council into reports of "traces of oil" washing up on beaches in the county and neighbouring Wicklow has begun, and it is also looking into possible oil deposits on some marine wildlife along these coasts.…

Ultra-modern expedition cruise ship Seabourn Venture is bound for Killybegs Harbour, Co. Donegal tomorrow, 3 May, which will open the cruise season. The vessel built in 2022 has a design style likewise of the mega-private yachts.

Seabourn Set to Open Killybegs Harbour Cruise Season With Private Yacht-Like Caller

2nd May 2024 Cruise Liners

An ultra-luxury modern expedition cruise ship, the Seabourn Venture, is to call to Killybegs Harbour, Co. Donegal, tomorrow (3 May) marking the start of this year’s season, writes Jehan Ashmore On hand to welcome tourists will be the team from…

The former Fred Olsen Cruise Lines 929 passenger ship, Braemar, is at Harland & Wolff’s Belfast shipyard, where refurbishment has begun. The ship’s departure from Belfast Dry Dock for its inaugural three-and-a-half-year world cruise has been rescheduled to accommodate necessary operational enhancements. The vessel, to be renamed Villa Vie Odyssey, will now depart from Belfast Harbour on May 30.

Harland & Wolff Sign Refurbishment Contract of Braemar with US Based Villa Vie Residences

2nd May 2024 Shipyards

Harland & Wolff has signed a contract with Fort Lauderdale, Florida, US-based cruise brand Villa Vie Residences to carry out at its historic Belfast Dry Dock a refurbishment of the 24,344 gross tonnage cruise ship Braemar, writes Jehan Ashmore. Commenting…