Resources

ILV Granuaile

The Commissioners of Irish Lights' Aids to Navigation vessel, ILV Granuaile was built by Damen Shipyards and delivered in January 2000. The third Irish Lights ship to be named Granuaile she replaces the vessel of the same name, which has been a familiar sight around the Irish Coast for the past 30 years.

The new Granuaile has been designed to be a multi-functional vessel which can operate in difficult sea conditions. Fitted with dynamic positioning Class I linked to the satellite based navigation system DGPS, the vessel's primary function is to place and service the 150 offshore buoys which warn Mariners of the location of sand banks, reefs, and other offshore hazards near shipping routes. The ship also serves as a helicopter platform for servicing offshore lighthouses and is available to assist State agencies with Search and Rescue, emergency towing, oil pollution control, surveying, and offshore data collection. When she was built she was probably the one of the most advanced vessel's of her type in the world and has been a prototype for new builds for MENAS, Trinity House, Northern Lighthouse Board.

Granuaile Information Leaflet. General Arrangement plan of Granuaile. Granuaile's specification and capabilities.

Commercial

ILV Granuaile is available for hire for short term contract operations. She is ideally suited for buoy and chain work, search and rescue, salvage and recovery, towing, hydrographic applications, and ROV work.

She has accommodation for an extra 10 persons or can accept modular housing on the after-deck. She is shallow drafted at 4.40 metres and has heavy lifting equipment including a 20 tonne crane with an outreach of 20 metres. For further details and rate, please contact:

Marine Department,
Irish Lights Office,
Harbour Road,
Dun Laoghaire,
Co. Dublin.

Tel: +353(1)2715400
Fax: +353(1)2715566
Email: marine@cil.ie

Previous Commercial Operations

Aside from Service work for CIL including Buoy Operations, Towage, Lighthouse Replenishment, Project Support, Helicopter Operations, the following are proven capabilities carried out for third parties:

• On Scene Co-ordinator for Search and Rescue/Recovery.
• Emergency Towage.
• Oil Spillage Containment Exercise:
  Deployment of booms and recovery of oil - Brackets welded to deck for outrigger and equipment supplied by UK Coastguard, removed after exercise.
• Diving Support for Salvage Operations
  3 point mooring and dynamic positioning over point of interest with ship's anchors and spare 3 tonne anchor attached to towing wire.
• Recovery of sunken vessels from seabed.
• Pipeline surveys using ROV at Gas Rigs
  Contractor's ROV and equipment supplied - removed after contract.
• Wreck search for missing persons:
  Using ship's ROV.
• Vibrocore sampling:
  20 tonne lug fitted to deck in way of towing winch. Removed after contract.
• Recovery and deployment of 17 tonne x 18 metre Buoys (Wave-Bob):
  Vertical lift on board - horizontal lift to shore.
• Recovery and deployment of ODAS Buoys and moorings in deep water:
  Towing winch used to recover moorings.
• Hydrographic Surveys:
  Contractor's equipment fitted to Bridge, removed after contract.
• Seismic Surveys:
  Contractor's equipment fitted to Bridge and deck, removed after contract.

TH and NLB Contacts

Northern Lighthouse Board (Scotland) and Trinity House (England and Wales) are the other members of the General Lighthouse Authority. Their vessels are also available for charter by contacting the following:

Northern Lighthouse Board
Ships: NLV Pharos and NLV Pole Star
Contact: Mike Spain, Business Development Manager
Tel: +44(0)1314733100
Fax: +44(0)1312202093
email: enquiries@nlb.org.uk

Trinity House
Ships: THV Galatea, THV Patricia and THV Alert
Contact: Nina Wright, Business Development Manager
Tel: +44(0)1255245121
Fax: +44(0)1255245009
email: enquiries@thls.org