Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 3 December 2014

Select Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality

Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 35 - Army Pensions (Supplementary)
Vote 36 - Defence (Supplementary)

3:40 pm

Photo of Simon CoveneySimon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The main specifications of the new offshore patrol vessels as they are know, is that they can accommodate a crew of 54 personnel, 44 ships company and ten trainees. It is capable of operations for 21 days or three weeks. It will provide strong operational capability for up to 40 years service. The current fleet has a recommendation of about 30 years. TheLE Aoifewas commissioned in 1979 and the LE Aisling in 1980. They have gone beyond the recommended period of service in Irish conditions. They may well be suitable for the Mediterranean or somewhere else.
We have some of the roughest waters in the world off the west coast and we need ships out in those conditions virtually all of the time. There are specific design considerations in terms of ballast, stability, depth and hull design that suit Irish waters. This is the reason we cannot buy other ships from other parts of the world and assume they will be fine in our waters. That is not the way it works. The next ships can achieve a top speed of 23 knots, which is about 28 miles per hour. This is significantly higher than the top speed of 18 knots, which is achievable by other Naval Service vessels. They are equipped with power taking systems which will enable major fuel savings as engines can be shut down in favour of generator power. I have been on the LE Samuel Beckett and it is very impressive. I would encourage members of the committee to see the ship.

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