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Ireland Flag of Ireland

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General Information for Ireland
Geo-political:
Capital City: Dublin.
Nationality: (noun) Irishman(men), Irishwoman(women), Irish (collective plural), (adjective) Irish.
Population: 4,203,200.
Communications:
International Direct Dial Code: 353.
Number of Internal Airports: 17.
Major Languages Spoken: English (official) is the language generally used, Irish (Gaelic or Gaeilge) (official) spoken mainly in areas along the western coast.
Economy:
Currency: 1 Euro (EUR) of 100 Cents.
Main Industries: Steel, lead, zinc, silver, aluminium, barite, gypsum mining processing, food products, brewing, textiles, clothing, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, machinery, rail transportation equipment, glass and crystal, software and tourism.
Environment:
Territorial Sea: 12 n.m.
Other Maritime Claims: Exclusive Fishing Zone: 200 n.m.
Coastline Extent: 1,448 km.
Climate: Temperate maritime; modified by North Atlantic Current; mild winters, cool summers; consistently humid; overcast about half the time.
Natural Resources: Natural gas, peat, copper, lead, zinc, silver, barite, gypsum, limestone and dolomite.
Terrain: Mostly level to rolling interior plain surrounded by rugged hills and low mountains; sea cliffs on west coast.
Average Temperatures: 
Month High Low
January 8° C 2° C
June 18° C 8° C
September 17° C 8° C
PRE-ARRIVAL INFORMATION:  SafeSeasIreland (SafeSeaNet):  The European Community Vessel Traffic Monitoring and Information System (SafeSeaNet (SSN) of which Ireland has brought in SafeSeasIreland (SSI) with implementation of Directive 2002/59/EC.
SSI provides for electronic notification: 
  1. Ship arrival and departure notifications
  2. dangerous or polluting goods (DPG) notifications
  3. ISPS notifications
  4. waste notifications
  5. reporting requirements in the event of accident or incident.
The Directive applies to ships of 300 g.t. and over, unless stated otherwise.
It shall not apply to: 
  1. warships, naval auxiliaries and other ships owned or operated by a Member State and used for non-commercial public service
  2. fishing vessels, traditional ships and recreational craft LOA less than 45 m.
  3. bunkers less than 5,000 tons, ships' stores and equipment for use on board ships.
The Directive establishes a vessel traffic monitoring and information system tracking all vessels covered, enabling quicker response to SAR operations and contributing to a better prevention and detection of pollution by ships.
To streamline and accelerate the transmission and utilisation of what may be huge amounts of information on cargo, such information ought to be sent, whenever practicable, electronically to the competent authority or Port Authority concerned. For the same reasons, exchanges of information between the competent authorities of the Member States should take place electronically.
In essence it is the means of satisfying the main pre-arrival conditions of vessels carrying IMO dangerous and hazardous cargoes. It should also be noted that SafeSeasIreland is positioned to accept IMO Fal forms.
As from 1 July 2009 the National Competent Authority (NCA), that in Ireland is the Marine Survey Office (MSO) of the Department of Transport, will implement notifications according to Regulation 15.1.a(2) of S.I. No. 81 of 2004 (not reproduced). Therefore vessels failing to supply the required information through the SafeSeasIreland system may be subject to inspection and alerts then made available for the next receiving EU port.
Notification Prior to Entry: 
Operator, Agent or Master, shall notify: 
  1. ship identification (name, call sign, IMO No. or MMSI No.)
  2. port of destination (UN locode)
  3. ETA at the port or pilot station and ETD from that port
  4. total number of persons on board.
The information shall be forwarded to the local competent authority concerned: 
  1. at least 24 hours in advance, or
  2. latest time ship leaves the previous port, if the voyage time is less than 24 hours, or
  3. if the port of call is not known or it is changed during the voyage, as soon as this information is available.
Ships coming from a port outside the European Union, and bound for a port in the State carrying dangerous or polluting goods, shall comply with the notification obligations specified in Regulation 12 (not reproduced).
The operator, Agent or Master of a ship who fails to comply with the notification procedure, is guilty of an offence.
Notification of Dangerous or Polluting Goods Carried on Board: 
  1. Operator, Agent or Master of a ship, irrespective of its size, carrying dangerous or polluting goods and leaving a port of the State shall, at the latest at the moment of departure, notify the information indicated in paragraph 3 of Annex I to the Directive to the appropriate local competent authority which shall ensure that the national competent authority is also notified.
  2. Operator, Agent or Master of a ship, irrespective of its size, carrying dangerous or polluting goods coming from a port located outside the European Union and bound for a port in the State or an anchorage located in the territorial waters shall, at the latest upon departure from the loading port, or as soon as the port of destination or the location of the anchorage is known (if this information is unavailable on departure from the loading port), notify the information indicated in paragraph 3 of Annex I to the Directive to the national competent authority of the State in which the first port of destination or anchorage is located.
  3. Information referred to in paragraphs 1. and 2. shall be transferred electronically whenever practicable. The electronic message exchange shall use the syntax and procedures set out in Annex III to the Directive.
  4. Operator, Agent or Master of a ship to whom paragraph 1. applies, who fails to notify the appropriate local competent authority in the State, in accordance with paragraph 1., is guilty of an offence.
  5. Operator, Agent or Master of a ship to whom paragraph 2. applies, who fails to notify the appropriate national competent authority, in accordance with paragraph 2., is guilty of an offence.
Transmission of Information Concerning Certain Ships: 
1. The national competent authority shall compile and maintain a list of ships meeting the criteria set out in subparagraphs (a), (b) and ©) and these ships shall be considered to the ships posing a potential hazard to shipping or a threat to maritime safety, the safety of individuals or the environment:
a) ships which, in the course of their voyage
i. have been involved in incidents or accidents at sea as referred to in Regulation 16, or
ii. have failed to comply with the notification and reporting requirements imposed by the Regulations and the Directive, or
iii. have failed to comply with the applicable rules in ships' routeing systems and VTS placed under the responsibility of a Member State
b) ships in respect of which there is proof or presumptive evidence of deliberate discharges of oil or other infringements of the MARPOL Convention in waters under the jurisdiction of a Member State
c) ships which have been refused access to ports of the Member States or which have been the subject of a report or notification by a Member State in accordance with Annex I – 1 to Council Directive 95/21/EC of 19 June 1995 concerning the enforcement, in respect of shipping using Community ports and sailing in the waters under the jurisdiction of the Member States, of international standards for ships' safety, pollution prevention and shipboard living and working conditions (Port State Control).
2. The national competent authority holding relevant information on the ships referred to in paragraph 1. shall communicate it to the national competent authorities in the other Member States located along the planned route of the ship.
3. The national competent authority shall ensure that the information received pursuant to paragraph 2. is transmitted to the relevant local competent authorities or any other authority designated by it.
The national competent authority shall carry out any appropriate inspection or verification in ports within the State either on its own initiative or at the request of another Member State, without prejudice to any port state control obligation. The national competent authority shall inform all Member States concerned of the results of the action it takes.
Offences: 
  1. A person who is guilty of an offence under these regulations is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding €3,000, or to a term of imprisonment not exceeding 6 months, or both.
  2. Where an offence under these regulations is committed by a corporate body, and is proved to have been so committed with the consent, connivance or approval of or to be attributable to any neglect on the part of a person being a director, manager, secretary or other officer of the corporate body, or any other person who was acting or purporting to act in any such capacity, that person as well as the corporate body, is guilty of an offence and is liable to be proceeded against and punished as if he or she were guilty of the first-mentioned offence.
  3. An offence under these regulations may be prosecuted by the Minister.
User Requirements:  Port authorities, operators, Agents and owners are requested to contact the MSO contact or SSI contact (details on the last page of Marine Notice) who will process the application for access to SafeSeasIreland. There can be more than one SSI User per Organisation.
The format of data is as follows:
User type (Port, Operator, Owner and Agent):
Organisation Name:
Address:
First Name (SSI User):
Last Name (SSI User):
Email:
Tel:
Fax:
On completion, the site address along with user name and password to log in will be issued.
Information to be Notified: 
1. In Accordance with Article 4: 
General Information: 
  1. ship identification (name, call sign, IMO identification number or MMSI number)
  2. port of destination (UN locode)
  3. ETA port of destination or pilot station and ETD from port
  4. total number of persons on board.
In Accordance with Article 12: 
Cargo Information: 
  1. the correct technical names of the dangerous or polluting goods, the United Nations (UN) numbers where they exist, the IMO hazard classes in accordance with the IMDG, IBC and IGC Codes and, where appropriate, the class of the ship needed for INF cargoes as defined in Regulation VII/14.2, the quantities of such goods and, if they are being carried in cargo transport units other than tanks, the identification number thereof
  2. address from which detailed information on the cargo may be obtained.
In Accordance with Article 13: 
General information: 
  1. ship identification (name, call sign, IMO identification number or MMSI number)
  2. port of destination (UN locode)
  3. for a ship leaving a port in a Member State: ETD port of departure or pilot station, ETA port of destination
  4. for a ship coming from a port located outside the Community and bound for a port in a Member State: ETA port of departure or pilot station
  5. total number of persons on board.
Cargo information: 
  1. correct technical names of the dangerous or polluting goods, UN Number where they exist, IMO hazard classes in accordance with the IMDG, IBC and IGC Codes and, where appropriate, class of the ship as defined by the INF Code, the quantities of such goods and their location on board and, if they are being carried in cargo transport units other than tanks, the identification number thereof
  2. confirmation that a list or manifest or appropriate loading plan giving details of the dangerous or polluting goods carried and of their location on the ship is on board
  3. address from which detailed information on the cargo may be obtained.
Information Referred to in Article 5 (AIS): 
  1. ship identification (name, call sign, IMO identification number or MMSI number)
  2. date and time
  3. or
  4. Lat., Long. or true bearing and distance in n.m. from a clearly identified landmark
  5. course
  6. speed
  7. port destination (UN locode) and ETA cargo and, if dangerous goods present on board, quantity and IMO class
  8. address for the communication of cargo information
  9. total number of persons on board
  10. various information (characteristics and estimated quantity of bunker fuel, for ships carrying more than 5,000 tons of bunker fuel), navigational status.
Ship's Master:  The Master must forthwith inform the competent authority or Port Authority concerned of any change to the information notified pursuant to this Annex.
Contact:  The Chief Surveyor, Marine Survey Office, Department of Transport, Leeson Lane, Dublin 2, Ireland. Tel: +353 (1) 678 3400. [email protected]
Greg Houlihan, SSI National Contact Point, Marine Survey Office, Maritime Safety Directorate, Department of Transport, Leeson Lane, Dublin. Tel: +353 (1) 678 3400. Fax: +353 (1) 678 3409. [email protected] www.transport.ie/
VTS/RADAR:  The EU Community Vessel Traffic Monitoring and Information System is called SafeSeaNet (SSN). The Irish section of SafeSeaNet is called SafeSeasIreland (SSI).
Also see Pre-Arrival Information.
REGULATIONS:  EU MRV:  The EU MRV (Monitoring, Reporting, Verification) regulation entered into force on 1 July 2015, and it requires ship owners and operators to annually monitor, report and verify CO 2 emissions for vessels larger than 5,000 g.t. calling at any EU and EFTA (Norway and Iceland) port. Data collection takes place on a per voyage basis and started 1 January 2018.
The reported CO 2 emissions, together with additional data, are to be verified by independent certified bodies and sent to a central database managed by the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA). The aggregated ship emission and efficiency data will be published by the EC by 30 June 2019 and then every consecutive year.
Ship owners and operators shall monitor the CO 2 emissions of their vessels per voyage conducted into, between and out of EU (and EFTA) ports. A voyage is defined as any movement of a ship that originates from, or terminates in, a port of call (EU port) and that serves the purpose of transporting passengers or cargo for commercial purposes.
HOLIDAYS:  1 January (New Year's Day); 17 March (St. Patrick's Day); Good Friday; Easter Monday; May Bank Holiday (1st Monday in May); Spring Bank Holiday (1st Monday in June); August Bank Holiday (1st Monday in August); Last Monday in October; 25 December (Christmas Day); 26 December (St. Stephen's Day).
CUSTOMS: 
Notice No. 1198 (Rev 1) Dated March 1983: 
Notice by the Revenue Commissioners Customs Allowances for (1) Frontier Zone Residents and Workers, and (2) International Transport Crews: 
Scale of duty-free allowances for goods having no commercial character which are imported from Northern Ireland by frontier zone residents or workers, or which are imported by crews of means of transport used in international travel (Also see Notes below).
Tobacco Products:  40 cigarettes or 20 cigarillos (cigars of a maximum weight of 3 grammes each) or 10 cigars or 50 grammes (about 2 ounces) of smoking tobacco.
Alcoholic Beverages: 
  1. a total of 0.25 litre (33.3% of a normal sized bottle) of distilled beverages and spirits of an alcoholic strength exceeding 22% by volume, e.g. whiskey, brandy, gin, rum, or
    a total of a 0.5 litre (66.6% of a normal sized bottle) of distilled beverages and spirits and aperitifs with a wine or alcohol base of an alcoholic strength not exceeding 22% by volume, e.g. sparkling wine, fortified wines, and
  2. a total of 0.5 litre (66.6% of a normal sized bottle) of still wines.
Perfume and Toilet Waters:  7.5 grammes of perfume and 3/80ths of a litre of toilet water.
Portable Fuel Containers:  You may import a portable container of fuel duty-free with each motor vehicle being imported, provided that it contains no more than 10 litres of fuel.
Other Dutiable Goods:  To a total value not exceeding EUR31.5 per person, or EUR7.5 if the person is under 15 years of age.
Note: 
  1. The allowances at 1) and 2) above are not granted to travellers under 17 years of age.
  2. A Frontier Zone is a zone extending to a depth not exceeding 15 km. (9.3 n.m.) as the crow flies from the Land Frontier with Northern Ireland, and it includes cities, towns, villages and their environs the territory of which is partially included in the Zone. For the purpose of the grant of the above allowances, Frontier Zone residents may reside on either side of the Land Frontier.
    Different allowances apply (see Notice No. 962 Rev. 1) to Frontier Zone residents who can prove to Customs that they are either travelling to a place in the state which is not within the Frontier Zone, or that they are not returning from the Frontier Zone in Northern Ireland.
  3. Frontier Zone workers are persons living on either side of the Land Frontier who are required by their usual occupation to go to the other side of the Land Frontier on working days. They are granted the above allowances when they import goods while travelling for reasons connected with their work.
  4. Crews of means of transport used in international travel are granted the above allowances when they import goods while travelling for reasons connected with their work.
  5. The above allowances are only granted where the goods have no commercial character, that is, if they consist exclusively of goods for the personal or family use of the travellers mentioned or of goods intended as presents. The nature or quantity of the goods must not be such as might indicate that they are being imported for commercial reasons.