Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)

As the Deputy will be aware, on 11 September 2008, the national sail training vessel, Asgard II, sank in the Bay of Biscay off the coast of France. The Asgard II was on a cruise from Falmouth in the UK to La Rochelle. On board were five crew and 20 trainees. All crew and trainees were evacuated successfully and are safe and well.

The decision to abandon the vessel and take to the life rafts was made by the captain because the vessel was taking in water and was flooding. Weather conditions at the time were moderate. All trainees and crew were rescued by the French life boat service and taken to the island of Belle Île. I take this opportunity to compliment the captain and crew of Asgard II on the very professional manner in which all the trainees were quickly and safely taken off the vessel. I would also like to pay tribute to the French life boat service for quickly coming to the rescue of the trainees and crew and bringing everybody safely ashore; and to the authorities in Belle Île on the way they looked after things.

The Marine Casualty Investigation Board, which is a statutory independent body, is carrying out an investigation into the cause of the incident. I have no information as to when the result of that investigation will be available.

Asgard II was insured with Allianz Plc for the sum of €3.8 million. Following consultations with insurance company representatives, Coiste an Asgard decided to arrange a survey of the vessel using a remotely operated vehicle in order to establish her status prior to any decisions being made in regard to salvage. This survey, which was carried out between 26 and 29 September, revealed that the vessel is lying upright in 80 m of water close to where she sank and appears to be largely intact. Damage to one of the hull planks has been observed but it is not possible, at this stage, to determine whether this has resulted from impact with the seabed or was the original cause of the sinking.

At a meeting between Coiste an Asgard and the insurance company on 9 October, it was agreed that the insurance company would seek tenders for the salvage of Asgard II and that a decision on whether to proceed with a salvage operation would be made in the light of the outcome of the tender process. I understand that the closing date for the receipt of tenders is 31 October.

Pending a decision on the future of Asgard II, the board of Coiste an Asgard is considering the question of procuring a suitable temporary replacement vessel. At this stage, I am not in a position to indicate when a decision might be made as to whether to procure a replacement vessel.

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