Woods imposes strict safety regulations for the tall ships festival

As some of the world's finest square-riggers continue on course for the Liffey mouth, the Minister for the Marine, Dr Woods, has issued a safety warning about the Cutty Sark Tall Ships Festival in Dublin this weekend.

Only licensed passenger vessels will be permitted to offer sightseeing trips to the public, the Minister said yesterday.

His Department's Marine Survey Office (MSO) would be staffed throughout the weekend to ensure that vessel operators are complying with licence and certification, he said.

Under the current legislation, the Garda Siochana holds responsibility for enforcing the passenger vessel regulations. The MSO will be on call to assist gardai, a Department spokesman said. The Minister's statement comes after concerns expressed by water safety experts last weekend when the Argentinian tall ship, Libertad, was at anchor in Killala Bay, Co Mayo.

Although conditions were too rough to allow the public on board, many small craft took visitors - some without life-jackets - around the vessel in very fresh conditions.

Under the Merchant Shipping Acts, licences must be held by vessels carrying 12 or less passengers, and this must be displayed on the side of the vessel. Certificates are required for vessels carrying more than 12 passengers, and this documentation must also be displayed on board the vessel. In each case, the documentation must state the number of passengers which the craft is authorised to carry, and the certificate must state the areas in which the craft is allowed to work.

The Minister said there was a danger that some operators might attempt to provide unapproved services to the public "to exploit this wonderful occasion for short-term gain and with no regard for people's safety". These "unscrupulous operators" would be liable to prosecution, he said. He appealed for information on illicit activity to be reported to the MSO at (01)8744900 or the Department's marine safety information line at 1850-392-392 or the maritime safety division at (01)6785444 or 6199200.

Fears about major traffic disruption during the four-day festival have been eased by a decision by the Irish Road Haulage Association to call off its threatened demonstration next Monday and Tuesday in the port area. The IRHA members are to meet in Dublin this evening when a final decision will be made. A spokesman for the association, Mr Jimmy Griffin, said there was never any intention to cause public inconvenience.

"Hauliers are very concerned about breaches in an agreement made with shipping companies last year," he said. Negotiations were continuing with the Department of Public Enterprise on the issues, including traffic congestion, long waiting times to load and unload containers, long delays in processing paperwork and lack of action on illegal haulage operators.

Hauliers are also concerned about the lack of facilities at Dublin Port and toll charges.

Dublin Corporation's traffic division said a threatened disruption by catering companies had also been averted after contact with one company which was seeking a licence. The caterers, members of the Irish Mobile Caterers' Association, claimed the corporation had given four of the best pitches to a Scottish firm.

All main roads in the Liffey area between the East Link Bridge and Talbot Memorial Bridge will be closed to traffic from Saturday at 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday. The East Link Bridge will be closed at intervals up to Saturday to allow ships to reach their berths.

From Saturday morning until Tuesday evening, the gardai will place a cordon around the area bound by East Wall Road, North Strand Road, Amiens Street, Memorial Bridge, Moss Street, Townsend Street, Sandwith Street, Pearse Street, Ringsend Road, Irishtown Road and Bremend Road. Access inside the cordon will be restricted to residents, businesses and people going to Dublin Port. Parking restrictions mean there will be no parking on Fairview, Fairview Strand, North Strand, Amiens Street, Memorial Road, Moss Street and Pearse Street from tomorrow until Tuesday.

Semi-final matches in Croke Park on both Saturday and Sunday will add to extreme congestion in and around the Croke Park and port areas, the Garda warned. Motorists are advised to make only essential journeys in the port district, and to use public transport to reach the Tall Ships festival and Croke Park.

Yesterday the Army's 2nd Field Artillery Regiment from McKee Barracks fired a 21-gun salute from Dun Laoghaire East Pier battery to welcome the arrival of the Argentinian naval training vessel, Libertad. Two more salutes will be fired on Saturday for the Colombian barque, Gloria, and the Mexican Cuauhtemoc.

Of these three ships, only the Gloria is still competing in the race. The Mexican was held back in Lisbon after the first leg, to complete diplomatic duties associated with Expo 98.

The race finished officially yesterday at 7 a.m., when all ships still at sea were required to give their positions to the organisers, the International Sail Training Association (ISTA). Computer projections based on existing positions and speed will determine the final results, which are expected to be completed this evening. Most of the fleet has been becalmed on passage from Vigo, including the Asgard II, which is leading in its class but which was still 400 miles out yesterday, and not near the Irish coast as erroneously reported.

The first vessel to cross the finishing line off the Codling Light was the Italian sail training yacht, Orsa Maggiore. The last vessel in the 65-strong fleet, the German gaff ketch, Klaus Stortebeker III, still had 600 miles to go yesterday and was hoping for a "hooligan" wind to sweep it up in time for Saturday, according to the ISTA.