Dick Spring
Ceist:18 Mr. Spring asked the Minister for Defence the plans, if any, he has to buy and equip ships for the Naval Service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15151/97]
Written Answers. - Naval Service Vessels.
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. The cost of the vessel will attract EU support. Tenders have been received and are currently being assessed with the assistance of marine engineering consultants. It is anticipated 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.
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.