Kevin Humphreys (Dublin South East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I will change direction slightly and speak briefly about the Naomh Éanna. I thank the witnesses for supplying me with the Frank Jackson marine survey of the ship, which I found useful, but would they agree it appears to be quite limited for a 41 m vessel? I ask for the witnesses assistance. The lower tanks, which are under the floor, are 18 in. deep but there does not appear to be any survey of those. That is where the ship frame and keel are contained and they are quite inaccessible because of the amount of rubbish and combustibles on the ship. Do the witnesses have any additional information on that?
On the dry docking of the ship, it is going into a 200 year old protected dry dock and I am concerned that the ship is not securely moored within that dry dock. Having grown up in the area and still living in it I would be very concerned that damage would be done to that dry dock. Regarding the monitoring of the contractor, I did not witness this but somebody mentioned to me that there has been some dumping of concrete near the vintage slug mechanisms. I would be grateful if that could be investigated.
If there is a need to continue to break up the ship, for proper assessment all that rubbish needs to be removed. I know Waterways Ireland is acting as facilitators and I do not mean to be in any way critical in what I am saying but the ship is probably one of the last remaining examples of a riveted ship built in Dublin in 1958, the year I was born, and therefore it is very early for it to be going to the scrap heap.