merrion street

Minister with Responsibility for Defence, Paul Kehoe TD, today (Tuesday 28th February) announced that the fourth Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) for the Irish Naval Service will bear the name of renowned Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw. The announcement was made during a traditional Keel Laying Ceremony, to mark a significant milestone being reached in the build process for the fourth new OPV, in Babcock’s Shipbuilding Yard in Devon, UK.

The Keel Laying ceremony was attended by the Minister with Responsibility for Defence, Mr. Paul Kehoe TD, senior representatives from Babcock, the Defence Forces and the Department of Defence, as well as Naval Service members involved in the build project.

The new ship will be the same class as LÉ Samuel Beckett, LÉ James Joyce and LÉ William Butler Yeats and the name George Bernard Shaw maintains the approach of naming this class of vessel after Irish literary greats.

Speaking at the ceremony Minister Kehoe said “Whether it is carrying out defence and security operations, on sea fisheries patrols, search and rescue operations or on overseas missions such as the humanitarian operation in the Mediterranean, the efforts of the Naval Service are enhanced by having access to new vessels equipped with the latest available capabilities.

Reflecting on the relationship between the Defence organisation and Babcock which has already seen a number of the current in-service Irish Naval Service vessels built in the Appledore facility Minister Kehoe said

“The Government’s current ship replacement programme has delivered three Naval Service vessels, representing a significant investment by the Government in the provision of defence capability for the State. The ship that is being built at present will be the fourth in this class providing huge commonality benefits to the Naval Service and allowing for greater operational capacity.”

Minister Kehoe concluded by complimenting employees at Babcock “for their ability to produce well designed and stylish ships with state of the art equipment which have already proven their value to the Irish Naval Service both at home and on overseas missions.”

Note for Editors:

· The Government’s White Paper on Defence published in 2015 provides for the continued renewal of the Naval Service fleet as the most significant contribution to defence capability in the maritime sphere.
· The current Naval Service ship replacement programme has seen the replacement of three Naval Service vessels with a fourth new vessel scheduled for delivery in 2018.
· Three ships, LÉ Samuel Beckett (named and commissioned May 2014), LÉ James Joyce (named and commissioned September 2015) and LÉ William Butler Yeats (named and commissioned in October 2016) have been delivered and are in full operational service. The value of the three-ship contract was €199.4m, inclusive of VAT.
· In June 2016 agreement was reached with Babcock International for the provision for an additional ship for the Naval Service to be built in their facility in Appledore, Devon (Keel laying ceremony today). The agreed contract value for the further ship is €67m inclusive of VAT and delivery is expected in 2018. This aligns with the project planning process in place under the White Paper on Defence which will determine the Defence Organisation’s maritime capability requirements.
· The additional ship will allow the Naval Service meet its patrol day targets with due cognisance to the significant operational requirements for the Naval fleet under Operation Pontus in the Mediterranean Sea.
· The White Paper on Defence provides for the replacement of the current flagship, LÉ Eithne, by a multi-role vessel (MRV). LÉ Eithne was built in 1984.
· In addition, the two existing Coastal Patrol Vessels, LÉ Ciara and LÉ Orla are due for replacement in the coming years; both ships were also built in 1984. The White Paper outlines that replacement ships will have countermine and counter IED capabilities.
· Work has commenced in the Department of Defence on further ship acquisition. The specifications for the replacement vessels will be drawn up and a public tender competition will be instigated to cover the supply of such future ships within the overall available funding envelope.