Vol. 538 No. 4
70 Mr. Power asked the Minister for Defence if, in view of the difficulties encountered with the new ship during its sea trials, he will outline the effect this has had on naval operations; when it is expected that the LE Niamh will come into service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18241/01]
The building of the second new ship for the Naval Service by Appledore Shipbuilders Limited in England is almost complete. The ship, to be named LE Niamh, is a replacement for LE Deirdre which has reached the end of its economic life and has been decommissioned.
During "builders" sea trials, which take place in advance of customer acceptance sea trials, a problem arose with the port gearbox on the ship. Subsequent examinations indicated that there was also a problem with the starboard gearbox on the ship. The contractual issues in regard to both gearboxes are being addressed by Appledore Shipbuilders Limited with the manufacturer of the gearboxes, Scam Volda of Norway. My Department and the Naval Service are in daily contact with Appledore Shipbuilders Limited on developments in this regard.
When both gearboxes are reinstated and re-commissioned, the ship will undergo customer acceptance sea trials which will be attended by representatives of the Department of Defence and the Naval Service. These sea trials are now scheduled for the second week of July 2001. When these trials are complete, and everything is going well, the ship will be officially handed over to the Department. The ship will then sail to Haulbowline and will enter operational service as soon as possible thereafter. The ship was originally scheduled for delivery in September 2001.
