Up to €700k to scrap three navy vessels, Defence Department says

The LÉ Eithne got a blue-light send off at the Port of Cork as the ship returns to the naval base at Haulbowline. Picture: Dan Linehan

The Department of Defence said the scrapping of three naval service vessels was likely to cost up to €700,000 but that a public sale could not be considered in case one of the boats ended up being sold on to a “warlord”.

In briefing papers on future options for the flagship LÉ Eithne, officials said sale through public auction would mean the department “really has no control … as to who will end up with the ship or its ultimate destination if … sold onto a third party”.

The department was fearful about what had happened to the decommissioned LÉ Aisling. It was sold for €110,000 in 2017 before changing hands multiple times, and it later sold for €1.3m before ending up “in the hands of a Libyan warlord”.

In a ministerial submission, officials said recycling of the LÉ Eithne and two other boats — the LÉ Niamh and LÉ Orla — would be costly but “would give certainty on the ultimate destination” of the vessels.

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It said recycling costs were typically based on tonnage with the two smaller boats weighing 650 tonnes each and the LÉ Eithne weighing 900 tonnes.

“Market research has indicated that the costs involved in recycling these three ships could be up to approximately €700,000,” the submission said, “including the cost of towing the vessels to their final destination.

“However, a more definitive cost will be known on receipt of tenders,” the submission said.

Officials said there was a possibility of partially offsetting the recycling costs through the sale of a 57mm gun on the LÉ Eithne, which manufacturer Bofors was interested in buying as “the only gun of its type still in working condition”.

Talks over donating the LÉ Eithne for use as a museum or tourist attraction had also taken place with two different county councils and Dublin Port; however, those options fell through, and the decision to recycle the boat was approved.

It said this meant there would be “no trailing obligations” for either the Department of Defence or the Naval Service.

In submissions, the department had expressed concern it could be stuck with the LÉ Eithne for a prolonged period, all the while running up costs at its Haulbowline headquarters.

In the briefing, officials wrote about how keeping the LÉ Eithne, LÉ Orla, and LÉ Ciara in the naval base in Cork was costly both in terms of cash and manpower.

They said security was then provided by naval service personnel but that this could not continue given “resource constraints” and that hiring civilian contractors might be needed.

They also warned that all three vessels would need to be dry-docked on an annual basis to check for hull integrity, and that this would cost between €200,000 and €300,000 for the LÉ Eithne and €150,000 for the other two boats.

Earlier this week, the LÉ Eithne left Cork on its final voyage ahead of recycling.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Defence said: “A number of organisations, including Dublin Port and the local authorities in Cork and Limerick indicated their interest in taking LÉ Eithne as a museum piece [or] tourist attraction following her decommissioning.

“The Department of Defence engaged extensively with these interested parties but following, in some cases, lengthy discussions, all these parties withdrew their interest in taking the ship.

“When, despite the best efforts of all involved, it was not possible to identify an alternative use for LÉ Eithne post-decommissioning, the Tánaiste decided that the vessel should be disposed of by recycling.”