State to pursue new €200m ship project

The new ship will require a bigger crew than the P60 class ships the navy currently operates, such as LÉ William Butler Yeats and LÉ James Joyce, pictured. Picture: Denis Minihane

The State looks likely to seek expressions of interest from international shipbuilders before the end of the year to construct a €200m-plus multi-role-vessel (MRV) for the navy.

While the MRV is planned as a replacement for the recently decommissioned former flagship LÉ Eithne, it will be far larger, far more sophisticated, and as the name suggests, will be designed to offer operational input not just from the navy but the army, and air corps.