36 | Dublin Port Yearbook 2021
On the Waterfront Deputy Harbour Master Fergus Britton and VTS Operator Eddie Downes explain the various components that have to work in harmony to ensure the safe arrival and departure of every vessel at Dublin Port.
The Harbour Operations department in Dublin Port Company is responsible for all vessels moving into or out of the port, including ferries, tankers, container ships, pilot boats, tugs and all other traffic on the water in the port area. Harbour Operations is a sizeable department, which includes the Harbour Masters office (Harbour Master, Deputy Harbour Master and two Assistant Harbour Masters), the Vessel Tracking System (VTS) operators, of which there are five, 12 pilots, 10 tug masters, 24 marine operatives, two office staff on the Shipping Desk, including Karen McLoughlin and Gerry McGurk, as well as Marine Supervisor Paul Clarke who oversees the Marine Ops and VTS, liaises with the tugs, and oversees any tasks on the
water, planning the day-to-day work of the Harbour Operations team. “It’s like a machine with many different moving parts,” laughs Fergus Britton, Deputy Harbour Master, who explains that the Harbour Operations team handle up to 50 ship movements per day, equating to 17,000 per year. “Every day brings something different,” Fergus reveals. “The only thing that is generally the same is the arrival and departure of the ferries, which varies slightly between weekdays and weekends. The ferries are plannable, our regular runners, and they are the only stable, predictable sailings. Aside from them, tankers, container ships, bulkers and all the other kind of vessels vary from day to day.”
