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Commissioners of Irish Lights Ship in Scottish Waters
The Commissioners of Irish Lights Aids to Navigation Tender ILV GRANUAILE will arrive in Oban on Wednesday 5 February 2003 to assist the Northern Lighthouse Board for approximately 2 days when MV PHAROS is in refit. The recent severe weather on the West Coast has meant a delay in starting a project to solarise the minor lighthouse at Weaver Point. As GRANUAILE currently has some spare capacity in Ireland the Northern Lighthouse Board has asked for her assistance under a joint General Lighthouse Authorities ship-sharing agreement and welcomes her offer of support and co-operation.
When GRANUAILE is working in Scottish waters MV PHAROS will be in refit and POLE STAR will be undertaking buoy maintenance duties.
Representatives from the Northern Lighthouse Board will join GRANUAILE to liase with the crew on the landing of materials, by helicopter, for the building of a temporary light at Weaver Point.
GRANUAILE was built for the Commissioners of Irish Lights in 1999 by Damen Shipyards in Holland and was delivered in January 2000. She is the third Irish ship to be named Granuaile and replaced the vessel of the same name, which was a familiar sight around the Irish Coast for the past 30 years. GRANUAILE, like MV PHAROS is a multi-functional vessel, which can operate in difficult sea conditions. She is fitted with dynamic positioning linked to the satellite based navigation system DGPS. Her primary function in Ireland is to place and service the 150 offshore buoys, she also has helicopter capability for servicing offshore lighthouses.
The work at Weaver Point minor light is part of the Northern Lighthouse Board’s refurbishment programme for the replacement of Acetylene and Propane gas systems with solar electric energy, this programme of refurbishment will complete in 2003. The character and range of the new electric lantern will remain the same as the gas light; however, during the construction phase a temporary light with a lower range of 5 miles will be in operation. Weather permitting work on the Weaver Point project should take around 4-6 weeks to complete.
---oo0oo---Notes to the Editor
Photo opportunityGRANUAILE will be along side at the Northern Lighthouse Board Pier, Oban on Wednesday 5 February 2003 and will be welcomed by an NLB Representative. Please contact Lorna Hunter (details below) if you require access to the NLB Base for a photograph opportunity only.
1. The Inter General Lighthouse Authority Ship Sharing Agreement also allows the Northern Lighthouse Board vessels MV PHAROS and MV POLE STAR to provide support to the other General Lighthouse Authorities subject to availability.
2. The Northern Lighthouse Board operates under statute - the Merchant Shipping Act 1995 - and is the General Lighthouse Authority for Scotland and the Isle of Man.
3. The Board currently operates: 201 Lighthouses, 131 Buoys, 41 Beacons, 4 Differential Global Positioning System Stations, 22 Radar Beacons and 12 Fog Signals.
4. The Northern Lighthouse Board is funded entirely from the General Lighthouse Fund, sourced by "Light Dues", a levy paid by shipping. The Board receives no direct funding from the Exchequer or taxpayer.
5. The other General Lighthouse Authorities are the Commissioners of Irish Lights (Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland) and Trinity House Lighthouse Service (England, Wales, the Channel Islands and Gibraltar).
For further information, please contact:
Lorna Hunter, Information Officer
Tel 0131 473 3100