THREE years after its seizure at sea in the State's biggest drugs haul, the 64 foot ketch, Brime, has been put up for sale by the Naval Service. Plans to convert the ketch into a training vessel have been abandoned on cost grounds, according to the Department of Defence.
The vessel had been awarded to the Naval Service by court order, following the arrest of the four man crew with two tonnes of cannabis, estimated at £20 million, on board some eight miles west of Loop Head, Co Clare, in July 1993.
Two of the crew, a Dutchman and a Belgian, received 16 year sentences. Dubliner Gerry Fitzgerald and a Briton, Wayne Bland, both with Amsterdam addresses, were given 10 year jail sentences.
The Brime has been lying idle on a slip at Naval Service headquarters in Haulbowline ever since it was towed ashore by the naval patrol ship, LE Orla. An examination by consultants found that it would not be "economically viable" to overhaul the craft for sail training, a Department of Defence spokesman said yesterday.
The 32 tonne fibreglass vessel, which was built in 1975, did sustain damage during the interception, but senior officials within the Naval Service had hoped that it could be repaired.
The captain of the LE Orla, Lieut Cdr Mark Mellett, who recently received a medal for the effort, described at the time how the Brime crew tried to ram navy personnel aboard two Searider inflatables in darkness during the arrest.
Once the navy had boarded, the crew rushed below to open the sea valves in an attempt to scuttle the craft, but were overpowered.
They were arrested by Garda Sgt Christopher McCarthy. With a high sea running, the men were not transferred to the LE Orla, but were taken in under armed guard on the Brime. The operation lasted 33 minutes.
The Department of Defence says it has received about half a dozen inquiries from both Cork and Dublin, following its decision to advertise the vessel for sale. The closing date for receipt of tenders is September 26th.
The Naval Service has one sail training craft, the Tailte, which has competed in round Ireland yacht races. The Slua Muiri, the naval reserve, has two sail trainers, the Creidne and the Nancy Bet.
The Naval Service is marking its 50th anniversary this year, but to date the Minister for Defence and the Marine, Mr Barrett, has given no firm commitment to expanding its fleet of seven ships to meet the increased demands of fishery protection and drugs interdiction. New legislation will empower naval officers to act as drug enforcement officers, without having to have Garda or Customs officials on board.
Such operations will not be unilateral, and will be controlled under the command structure of the long awaited joint task force involving all three State agencies.
