The Ireland Made film crew were recently guests of the Commissioners of Irish Lights and invited aboard the ILV Granuaile in Dún Laoghaire.
The Commissioners of Irish Lights (Irish: Coimisinéirí Soilse na hÉireann), commonly known as Irish Lights is the general lighthouse authority for Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, and their surrounding seas and islands. As the lighthouse authority for the entire island of Ireland, they provide all general aids to navigation and also supervise the coastal lights and navigation marks offered by local lighthouse authorities, county councils, and port authorities.
Aids to navigation play a vital role in the Irish, UK and European transportation network, safeguarding lives, property, businesses and the environment. Maintaining open, safe and efficient sea routes is crucial for both economic prosperity and safety. The main purpose of the Granuaile is to deploy and maintain 150 offshore buoys and 646 lighthouses, which serve to alert mariners to the presence of sand banks, reefs and other offshore hazards along shipping routes.
Irish Lights currently operate a single light tender, ILV Granuaile. The state of the art vessel was laid down at Galați shipyard, Romania, in 1997, outfitted at Damen Shipyards in the Netherlands and delivered to Dún Laoghaire Harbour on January 31st 2000.
Delivered in January 2000 and registered in Dublin, she is 2,625 Gross Tons, 79.6 metres in length and has a beam of 16.10 metres. The design set a new standard and served as a prototype for future vessels commissioned by Trinity House (England & Wales), the Northern Lighthouse Board (Scotland and the Isle of Man), and the Middle East Navigation Aids Service (MENAS).
In her design as a purpose-built multifunctional vessel, Granuaile features sophisticated engineering and equipment for all-weather operations. Including a Class 1 Dynamic Positioning System, allowing the Granuaile to automatically maintain its position even in rough seas. Additionally, it boasts an “Intering” Anti-Roll system for enhanced operational durability and comfort. This system employs a constant pneumatic air purge and regulating valve mechanism to transfer water swiftly from one side of the vessel to the other, generating a righting moment that counteracts heeling forces.
The ILV Granuaile is very well outfitted with specialised equipment for buoy and mooring handling comprises hydraulic ram chain guides, stoppers, a 20-ton (20m outreach) constant tension Liebherr deck crane with two independent falls, a 30-ton Safe Working Load (SWL) towing winch, two 15-ton capstans, two 5-ton tugger winches, and two heavy-duty 8-meter timber workboats with passenger licenses.
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The Granuaile has a crew of sixteen, with added capacity to accommodate eleven extra cadets or contractors in twenty-six ensuite cabins. The vessel features two mess rooms, a spacious conference room, and a crew recreation area.
The vessel crew operates on a roster of twenty-eight days on and twenty-eight days off, usually rotating off on a Wednesday. For crew members this means working for six months each year at sea and the remainder at home.
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