Capt Michael McCarthy, Port of Cork; Capt Bill Kavanagh, NMCI; Alison Kay, Trinity College Dublin and Dr Trevor Dobbins, High Speed Craft, UK

Highly-charged debate on domestic water charges and metering

Since Minister for the Environment Phil Hogan announced in April that a new, independent State-owned company - Irish Water - would take over the provision and supply of water from the country’s 34 local authorities, he appears to be avoiding any further detailed involvement in the often highly-charged debate on domestic water charges and metering.

And apart from declaring early on that there would be no upfront charges for householders when the installation of water meters begins later this year, the minister now seems content to leave it to the Commission for Energy Regulation to devise a funding model.

A fine haul of herring alongside mfv Vigilant. The June Council of Fisheries Ministers agreed a landing obligation of all vessels for all quota species, beginning with pelagics in January 2014. Photo John Cunningham

Fisheries Council agrees all-species landing, starting with pelagics in January 2014

An agreement by the Council of Fisheries Ministers to a landing obligation of all fishing vessels for all quota species beginning with pelagic fisheries from January 1, 2014, has been described as a “flawed approach” by the Federation of Irish Fishermen (FIF) as a method to address the complexissue of fish discards.

A fine haul of herring alongside mfv Vigilant. The June Council of Fisheries Ministers agreed a landing obligation of all vessels for all quota species, beginning with pelagics in January 2014. Photo John Cunningham

A fine haul of herring alongside mfv Vigilant. The June Council of Fisheries Ministers agreed a landing obligation of all vessels for all quota species, beginning with pelagics in January 2014. Photo John Cunningham

“This approach is impractical and unworkable,” remarked their chief executive who added there was agreement throughout the European-wide fishing industry that discarding needed to be reduced “to the lowest level possible”.

Dr Valerie Cummins with General Colin Powell

Looking to the United States for innovation and cluster development initiatives

 

Dr Valerie Cummins has returned to Ireland following a seven-week programme in the U.S. to investigate ways to improve the maritime economy of Ireland.  Dr Cummins was sponsored by the prestigious U.S. Eisenhower Fellowships programme, chaired by General Colin L. Powell, U.S.A (Ret).

Dr Valerie Cummins with General Colin Powell

Dr Valerie Cummins with General Colin Powell

An expert in maritime development, coastal zone management, and sustainability science, Dr Cummins directs IMERC – the Irish Maritime and Energy Resource Cluster. IMERC unites Ireland's largest maritime institutions – University College Cork; the Cork Institute of Technology, (including the National Maritime College of Ireland) and the Irish Naval Service – to establish Ireland as a leader in marine energy and maritime industries.

Dr Peter Heffernan; David Fahy, ESOF; Minister Simon Coveney; Ciara Backwell, An Taoiseach Enda Kenny; Jim Fennell, and Lydie Dieval

Summer of marine science & technology

Lisa Fitzpatrick, Marine Institute

All eyes will be on Irish marine science this summer during two prominent events. The first will be held in Galway at the Ocean Wealth Showcase in the Volvo Ocean Race Global Village, June 30-July 8. The second takes place the following week at the European Science Open Forum (ESOF) 2012, Convention Centre Dublin from July 11-15.Dr Peter Heffernan; David Fahy, ESOF; Minister Simon Coveney; Ciara Backwell, An Taoiseach Enda Kenny; Jim Fennell, and Lydie Dieval

Dr Peter Heffernan; David Fahy, ESOF; Minister Simon Coveney; Ciara Backwell, An Taoiseach Enda Kenny; Jim Fennell, and Lydie Dieval

The Ocean Wealth Showcase opens with fun activities for the family scheduled for the weekend. The focus then shifts to marine information and communications technology (ICT) and how we can get the most from our marine resource through marine technology.

Capt Michael McCarthy, Port of Cork; Capt Bill Kavanagh, NMCI; Alison Kay, Trinity College Dublin and Dr Trevor Dobbins, High Speed Craft, UK

Simplistic model ensures Norwegians retain greatest percentage of ‘oil’ spoils

An Oireachtas all-party committee is to consider adopting Norway as a role model to follow in the development of oil and gas finds, after a senior expert from that country revealed that its success was founded on some simple basic values established at the start and which have hardly changed in almost fifty years.

Ms Mette Karine Gravdahl Agerup, Assistant Director General of Norway’s Ministry of Petroleum and Energy who was addressing the Joint Committee on Communications, Natural Resources and Agriculture (JCCNRA.

Capt Michael McCarthy, Port of Cork; Capt Bill Kavanagh, NMCI; Alison Kay, Trinity College Dublin and Dr Trevor Dobbins, High Speed Craft, UK

NutraMara: Food Research & Development targeting societal challenges in Europe

Dr Maria Hayes,
Teagasc Food Research Programme

The Marine environment represents an almost inexhaustible source of bioactive compounds and molecules for use in a myriad of applications including food, chemical, pharmaceutical, cosmetic and bioengineering.

Functional foods are foods that impart health benefits to the consumer that go beyond those of basic, human and animal nutrition. The Marine Functional Foods Research Initiative, also known as the NutraMara programme, was established by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) and the Marine Institute (MI).

Graphic courtesy of Tamboran

Why is fracking under the spotlight when it has been practiced here for over thirty years?

Now that exploration licences have been issued to several companies to explore for shale gas throughout Ireland, the debate is hotting up on the process that could be used to extract it - hydraulic fracturing, or fracking.Graphic courtesy of Tamboran

Graphic courtesy of Tamboran

To find out more about this controversial hydrocarbon extraction process Inshore Ireland spoke to Gareth Jones of Conodate, a geological consultancy that specialies in biostratography, petrographic analysis, karst interpretation and geothermal energy. Mr Jones is also professionally accredited by the Institute of Geologists of Ireland and by the European Federation of Geologists.

1:10 scale model of Hanorah. Photo Robbie Murphy

A model world of painstaking precision

A model world of painstaking precision
Capt Michael McCarthy, Port of Cork; Capt Bill Kavanagh, NMCI; Alison Kay, Trinity College Dublin and Dr Trevor Dobbins, High Speed Craft, UK

Connecting the marine industry with educational institutes

A comprehensive STCW10 education and training package aimed at seafarers in diverse sectors of the marine industry and operating worldwide is now available via an e-learning platform in the EU MarLeaNet Programme, a workshop has heard. 

Capt Michael McCarthy, Port of Cork; Capt Bill Kavanagh, NMCI; Alison Kay, Trinity College Dublin and Dr Trevor Dobbins, High Speed Craft, UK

Capt Michael McCarthy, Port of Cork; Capt Bill Kavanagh, NMCI; Alison Kay, Trinity College Dublin and Dr Trevor Dobbins, High Speed Craft, UK

Gráinne Lynch who is responsible for research development at the National Maritime College of Ireland in Ringaskiddy - the outreach college for MarLeaNet in Ireland, which hosted the workshop - explains that because maritime training centres generally exist independently of one another – reporting solely to their own authorities – there is often no connection between what the maritime industry needs and what educational institutes are providing.