The weekend statement from the Dept of Defence: The Minister for Defence approved a recommendation from the Board of Coiste an Asgard not to proceed with the salvage operation and instead to commence planning for a replacement vessel. The €3.8 million insurance payment has been received by the Department of Defence from Allianz. The board of Coiste an Asgard has initiated planning for a replacement vessel which it is envisaged will similar in design to Asgard II with a steel hull. The Minister for Defence has had discussions with the Minister for Finance regarding the funding arrangements for the procurement of this replacement vessel. However, one of the recommendations contained in the recently published Report of the Special Group on Public Service Numbers and Expenditure Programmes (the McCarthy Report) recommends that any plans to build a replacement vessel should be deferred indefinitely as this will yield a once-off saving of €3.8 million as well as ongoing savings of €0.8million a year from the termination of the training scheme. As is the case with other recommendations in the McCarthy report, it will be a matter for Government as to whether or not the recommendations in relation to the sail training programme is implemented.
Raise the Asgard - Afloat's 2008 online petition
Published in Asgard II
Published in
Asgard II
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