Jim O'Keeffe
Question:38 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Defence the estimated cost of the new fishery protection patrol vessel; and the amount of support expected from the EU. [18125/97]
Written Answers - Naval Service Vessels.
Frances Fitzgerald
Question:75 Ms Fitzgerald asked the Minister for Defence the current situation regarding the order for the replacement Naval ships; and the time frame in this regard. [18169/97]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 38 and 75 together.
It is proposed to purchase an additional fishery protection patrol vessel for the Naval Service as part of the 1996 to 2000 EU Fishery Protection Programme which will attract EU support. Tenders for the construction of the new vessel were received on 1 September and are currently being assessed. It is expected that a contract will be placed for the new vessel by the end of this year and that construction time for the vessel will be of the order of 20 to 24 months. The vessel will be equipped with the most up to date equipment relevant to its fishery protection role.
It is not possible to indicate the likely cost of the additional patrol vessel. Discussions are ongoing with the Commission on the level of support to be provided over the period of the programme but it is expected that funding in the range of 50 per cent to 65 per cent will be provided.
The Naval Service fleet currently consists of seven patrol vessels. These undergo regular and planned maintenance and repair to ensure maximum availability to meet operational requirements. In this context, successive EU Fishery Protection Programmes have facilitated certain planned maintenance and re-equipping to extend the service life of the vessels. Three vessels —LE Deirdre, LE Emer and LE Aoife— have been refurbished to date. Refurbishment of the LE Aisling is currently under way. The remaining vessels are due to undergo refitting in the period 1998-2000.