Naval patrol boat to be sold at public auction

The naval patrol boat LÉ Aoife is to be decommissioned this month and sold off, through public auction, by the end of February.

Auctioneer Dominic Daly, appointed by the Department of Defence to handle the sale, was yesterday confident the vessel will fetch more interest, and more money, than the LÉ Emer, which had been sold to a Nigerian businessman in October 2013.

The LÉ Emer was disposed of for €320,000 — €80,000 below the asking price.