Sunday October 11 2009
PROPOSALS to equip the Naval Service with up to 20 smaller, faster and cheaper patrol boats to cover the entire coastline, with a new shipbuilding industry to supply them and create jobs, have been rejected by the Department of Defence.
Under the submission to Defence Minister Willie O'Dea by the Euro Marine company, offshore P1-65 patrol boats could be supplied at a cost of €5m each, and 10 could be bought for the cost of one offshore patrol vessel (OPV).
The department, which is engaged in a €200m ship replacement programme for Ireland's eight-ship navy, and intends to buy two OPV ships for around €100m if it gets Cabinet approval, rejected the plan saying essentially that the boats are too small and were unsuitable.
Yesterday Clare-based businessman Bill Rigby refuted the department's arguments and said in his opinion most of the Irish coastline is unprotected. He said his boats are designed to operate in bluewater sea conditions and in shallow water where 62 metre boats being procured by the Naval Service cannot operate.
"It is beyond our belief that two or three larger boats can be effective, as emergent activities develop, the time of response by these larger, slow-moving ships is less than acceptable as they are rarely in the vicinity unless by chance," he said.
"It is disappointing that we did not have the opportunity to meet with the Irish Navy personnel who know ship construction and design," he wrote to the minister.
Under his proposals he claimed his boats, with a top speed of over 40 knots, armed with two 25mm Bushmaster cannons with armoured crew spaces, would have a range of 1,500 miles, would be more efficient than the larger ships proposed and reduce overall costs.
He envisaged an initial plan of investing in three boats at a cost of €15m-€18m, "which will give three-times the coastal coverage of one €100m ship".
However, the department told Mr Rigby that his ships were essentially for inshore work and would be unsuitable. It said: "The present requirements for the Naval Service are for Offshore Patrol Vessels that can conduct 42-day patrols with up to 70 per cent of that time spent at sea in the harsh North Atlantic conditions.
"As the weather and wave heights experienced in the north-west Atlantic are predicted to worsen over the next 30 years, the Naval Service require larger rather than smaller vessels at this time."
- DON LAVERY
Sunday Independent
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This guy has probably made the mistake of offering these boats as an alternative to the OPV replacement program when there is an obvious role for something like this as a complement rather than an alternative, especially in the drug interdiction role.
PROPOSALS to equip the Naval Service with up to 20 smaller, faster and cheaper patrol boats to cover the entire coastline, with a new shipbuilding industry to supply them and create jobs, have been rejected by the Department of Defence.
Under the submission to Defence Minister Willie O'Dea by the Euro Marine company, offshore P1-65 patrol boats could be supplied at a cost of €5m each, and 10 could be bought for the cost of one offshore patrol vessel (OPV).
The department, which is engaged in a €200m ship replacement programme for Ireland's eight-ship navy, and intends to buy two OPV ships for around €100m if it gets Cabinet approval, rejected the plan saying essentially that the boats are too small and were unsuitable.
Yesterday Clare-based businessman Bill Rigby refuted the department's arguments and said in his opinion most of the Irish coastline is unprotected. He said his boats are designed to operate in bluewater sea conditions and in shallow water where 62 metre boats being procured by the Naval Service cannot operate.
"It is beyond our belief that two or three larger boats can be effective, as emergent activities develop, the time of response by these larger, slow-moving ships is less than acceptable as they are rarely in the vicinity unless by chance," he said.
"It is disappointing that we did not have the opportunity to meet with the Irish Navy personnel who know ship construction and design," he wrote to the minister.
Under his proposals he claimed his boats, with a top speed of over 40 knots, armed with two 25mm Bushmaster cannons with armoured crew spaces, would have a range of 1,500 miles, would be more efficient than the larger ships proposed and reduce overall costs.
He envisaged an initial plan of investing in three boats at a cost of €15m-€18m, "which will give three-times the coastal coverage of one €100m ship".
However, the department told Mr Rigby that his ships were essentially for inshore work and would be unsuitable. It said: "The present requirements for the Naval Service are for Offshore Patrol Vessels that can conduct 42-day patrols with up to 70 per cent of that time spent at sea in the harsh North Atlantic conditions.
"As the weather and wave heights experienced in the north-west Atlantic are predicted to worsen over the next 30 years, the Naval Service require larger rather than smaller vessels at this time."
- DON LAVERY
Sunday Independent
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This guy has probably made the mistake of offering these boats as an alternative to the OPV replacement program when there is an obvious role for something like this as a complement rather than an alternative, especially in the drug interdiction role.
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