Posted on 04/28/2002 9:28:23 PM PDT by LarryLied
DUBLIN - The Irish used to go down to the sea in canoe-like, hide-covered, small boats called curraghs, taking a poke at fate and the rough Atlantic seas.
Today, the island nation of less than four million people, or about one percent of EU's population, boasts the world's biggest car ferry, Ulysses, and the world's largest -- and one of its most controversial -- fishing vessels, Atlantic Dawn.
The 64-million-euro, 14,055-gross-tonne trawler cum fish processing plant can store 7,000 tonnes of fish, or enough to feed 18 million people.
It fishes off Mauritania under a private agreement between its owner, Kevin McHugh, and the impoverished West African desert nation, where it is reportedly known as "the ship from hell".
"The Celtic Tiger swims" is how one wag put it when the Atlantic Dawn, based in the western Irish fishing port of Killybegs, was launched.
He could have added that, with the launch of Ulysses a year later, the "Tiger" can also carry more than 200 trucks, 1,300 cars and 2,000 passengers and crew each way on two round-trips a day between Dublin and the port of Holyhead in Wales.
"It's fast, it's big, it's modern and it's comfortable," said John Kelly, analyst for NCB Stockbrokers in Dublin, which is bullish on Ulysses's parent company, Irish Continental Group. "And it's Irish," he added.
The 100-million-euro Ulysses is an ambassador for Irish entrepreneurship, sparking interest even in seafaring Greece, whose shipping barons want to know why tiny Ireland has the biggest ferry.
"They're deeply intrigued with why a small Irish company would be building the world's largest ferry," said Eamonn Rothwell, Irish Continental (Xetra: 543900.DE - news) 's managing director. "So I'm going down there to convince them to buy shares."
Ulysses recently completed its first full year in operation, keeping an uninterrupted schedule of two daily round-trips, or almost 1,400 sailings over 77,000 nautical miles, sometimes during Force 10 gales that kept other ships in port.
"You have the power to do the job and we've done it through all sorts of winds, the full year," said Captain Peter Ferguson, who is 64 and soon to retire.
NOT ALL SMOOTH SAILING
Atlantic Dawn has spent much of the past two years off Mauritania, prompting criticism from smaller rivals and environmentalists concerned about EU quotas and overfishing.
Critics say over-fishing by foreign fleets is causing alarming reductions in fish stocks off the world's poorest nations, putting local fishermen out of business and removing important food resources.
"This ship will be targeting very rich waters off the West African coast," McHugh, who did not respond to requests for an interview, told Irish state broadcaster RTE at its launch.
He said the immense ship would trawl the rich schools of sardinella, mackerel and horse mackerel off West Africa, manned by a "total Irish crew" of 60.
It has taken some effort to allow it to do so.
Because the Irish fleet for taking pelagic fish -- mackerel and other species living near the surface -- was already above its EU target before Atlantic Dawn was launched, she was originally listed as part of Ireland's mercantile fleet.
She also was granted a temporary fishing licence -- "which is illegal", said Michael Earle, fisheries adviser in Brussels to Green Party members of the European Parliament.
EU fisheries officials were just getting around to doing something about the licence issue last year when McHugh and his associates, who reputedly include big names in Irish financial circles, but whose identities could not be confirmed, sailed off on another tack.
McHugh's deal with Mauritania when Atlantic Dawn was launched allows the ship to fish there independently of an EU agreement with the African state.
But McHugh, Earle said, wants to be part of the EU agreement to fish off West Africa as well.
That would have been difficult, given that Ireland was already some 28 percent above its EU target for the size of its pelagic fleet, but where there is a will there is a way.
FLAGS OF CONVENIENCE
McHugh decommissioned another of his trawlers, the Veronica, one of the biggest in the EU fleet. The European Commission obliged on January 31 by agreeing to increase the "capacity objectives" of the Irish pelagics fleet for Mauritania by 14,055 gross tonnes -- the exact tonnage of Atlantic Dawn.
Atlantic Dawn has since been registered as part of the Irish fishing fleet so she can replace the Veronica fishing for mackerel in EU waters. The Veronica, meanwhile, according to published reports and Green Party politicians, will fish under the flag of Panama, a country on environmentalists' "dirty dozen" lists for predatory fishing practices.
"This is scandalous," said Irish Green MEP for Dublin Patricia McKenna said.
"The (European) Commission claims to be at the forefront of efforts to eliminate fishing under flags of convenience, and yet their decision to bow to Irish pressure over the Atlantic Dawn could precipitate the transfer of the Veronica to one of the most blatant pirate fishing countries."
Sean O'Donoghue, chief executive of the Killybegs Fishermen's Organisation, of which McHugh is a member, said the problem has been blown out of proportion.
"The whole Atlantic Dawn saga is totally misrepresented, misunderstood for people's aims and goals," he said. "The reality of the situation is that with the Atlantic Dawn being allowed into (EU) community waters, it has no extra entitlements over and above the vessel (the Veronica) being taken out."
But other Irish fishermen are unhappy with how the system seems to have bent over backwards to accommodate the big ship.
On a blustery day on the pier at Killybegs, a group of local skippers complained about how fast the Veronica's quota was transferred -- while they may wait months in port for lack of a half a tonne of quota space in the size of the Irish fleet.
"It's a very unfair situation, from the small man's point of view," said one skipper, who did not want his name to be used.
Let us all sincerely hope and pray that the ship stays safer than that other big ship that was built in Belfast, some years ago.
'Tis the last chance for duty-free alcohol on the ferries, so me t'ink it be far from impartant to the passengers, t'ank ye, as they are all lying in the hallways all smashed anyways.
Yup. Money is happiest where it is most free. Heritage/Wall Street Journal Index of Economic Freedom rankings:
Ireland #4
United Kingdom #9
Denmark #12
Germany #20
Spain #26
France #45
,,, from memory, the slog across the ditch was about three hours on the Sealink ferries. I can remember one I went on was the St Brendan. It took five hours because it was so rough. Any idea about the time this new ship will cut off the three hour run?From http://www.irishferries.ie/fleet.shtml:
Ulysses
Dublin/Holyhead route.
Sailing Time:
3 hours 15 minutes
AND the power of Guinness, my friend!!!
We Irish drink hard, but we work pretty hard, too! :-)
I am proud of my Irish ancestry (I'm 3rd generation American), but I am first, foremost, and always, a proud American.
At last count, I think something like 38 million people in the U.S. claim some Irish ancestry. Irish labor contributed greatly to the growth of this nation, and Ireland itself is experiencing remarkable economic prosperity.
Bottom line: "micks" kick butt! (uh, when they're not drunk or hungover anyway :-)
OK, so here's an old Irish joke for you:
What's the difference between an Irish wedding and an Irish funeral?
One less drunk!
I believe it was, but not just rivets, the plates too. Metalurgy had not caught up with ship building.
Yes, that was the last part of the problem, but not the first.
Side note: her sister ship lasted in service until 1935, survived two collisions and was known as "Old Reliable" as she never suffered a breakdown or interruption in regular service.
Regards,
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