MINISTER FOR Defence Willie O'Dea yesterday expressed optimism that the Government will be in a position to replace the national sail training vessel, Asgard IIwhich sank a year ago today while crossing the Bay of Biscay.
Mr O’Dea explained that the Department of Defence had secured €3.8 million in an insurance claim for the sail training vessel and he had written to Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan informing him of proposals to use it to buy a replacement.
"I have written to my colleague, the Minister for Finance, telling him that we would love to replace the Asgardwith a steel-hulled vessel. The €3.8 million would obviously be very useful to us in doing that because the cost would be estimated at between €3.5 to €4 million.
“We could do it without dipping into our own resources. I will be discussing the matter with the Minister as part of the budgetary estimates and it will be part of the estimates process which will be starting in the next week or two,” he said.
Mr O'Dea, who was speaking during a visit to the Naval Service base at Haulbowline in Cork harbour, also expressed hope that he would be able to secure funding, estimated to be up to €100 million, for two new ships to replace the LE Emerand the LE Aoife.
“The Government gave the go-ahead to go to tender, we have done some more talking to that tenderer and we have received some very attractive offers. I have taken that back to my colleagues and will assess it as part of the budgetary process,” he said.
“But it will depend on a number of factors. I am going to make the best case I can.
“They have to be replaced sometime and sooner is better as far as I am concerned, especially because we can get a very good deal,” he said.
“I will be making those points to the Minister but I don’t want to pre-empt the budgetary process and I will do my best to persuade him.”
