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Displaying items by tag: €200m newbuild

The State’s purchase of the Naval Service’s largest ship in its history, which is designed to respond to humanitarian crisis, notably overseas, is set to move forward when the release of documents are to be issued across an EU platform.

The Multi-Role Vessel (MRV) project reports Journal.ie has been in the planning with the Department of Defence for many years (incl. Afloat adds a 'blueprint' based on a Royal New Zealand Navy MRV) but has stepped up a gear after the recent Commission on the Defence Forces.

According to sources, the MRV is anticipated to feature a large landing deck for helicopters, in addition the provision of other possible facilities, among them a roll-on-roll-off (ro-ro) option. This would enable vehicles like those of the Defence Forces armoured personnel carriers to be loaded on board to be tasked on deployment missions.

The newbuild, in such missions, would have the capabilities to respond to major disasters and humanitarian crises, similar to vessels that have also been assigned in the rescue of civilians caught up in warzones.

Also anticipated is that the MRV will have a large medical facility on board and to aid this, that a specialist command and control systems be incorporated in the event of large-scale incidents.

Contact was made to the Department of Defence for a statement, though a Government source, has confirmed that in the coming days, is to see documents released in regard to the tender process for the MRV project.

The newbuild project which is known as a Prior Information Notice, will be examined by prospective shipbuilders.

Speaking in the Dáil last year, Minister for Defence and Foreign Affairs, Tánaiste Micheál Martin said that the ship would replace the Naval Service former flagship LÉ Eithne, which Afloat adds was decommissioned in 2022.

The cost for the MRV project is estimated to be €200m as previously reported, however it is understood that the final figure will not be decided until the tender process to prospective shipbuilders is completed.

More here on the proposed MRV newbuild in addition to Afloat's coverage of the Royal Netherlands Navy HNLMS Karel Doorman which visited Cork Harbour in 2021 and again the following year.

Published in Navy

A tender has finally been implemented by the Department of Defence for consultants to help it procure a €200m multi-role vessel (MRV) for the Naval Service.

As far back as 2015, the White Paper on Defence identified the need to replace the ageing Naval Service flagship LÉ Eithne with a new vessel, such as an MRV, which would be capable of carrying troops, freight and a helicopter.

The Department of Defence has gone to tender to seek consultants to provide the best design and value for money for the new ship, which it says will be “tailor-made to meet the requirements of the Defence Forces.”

The department said the design specification of the ship must make it “capable of providing a flexible and adaptive capacity for a wide range of maritime tasks, both at home and overseas.”

In addition the Irish Examiner has more and Ireland's membership of the UN Security Council. 

Published in Navy

Marine Institute Research Vessel Tom Crean

Ireland’s new marine research vessel will be named the RV Tom Crean after the renowned County Kerry seaman and explorer who undertook three major groundbreaking expeditions to the Antarctic in the early years of the 20th Century which sought to increase scientific knowledge and to explore unreached areas of the world, at that time.

Ireland's new multi-purpose marine research vessel RV Tom Crean, was delivered in July 2022 and will be used by the Marine Institute and other State agencies and universities to undertake fisheries research, oceanographic and environmental research, seabed mapping surveys; as well as maintaining and deploying weather buoys, observational infrastructure and Remotely Operated Vehicles.

The RV Tom Crean will also enable the Marine Institute to continue to lead and support high-quality scientific surveys that contribute to Ireland's position as a leader in marine science. The research vessel is a modern, multipurpose, silent vessel (designed to meet the stringent criteria of the ICES 209 noise standard for fisheries research), capable of operating in the Irish Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The Tom Crean is able to go to sea for at least 21 days at a time and is designed to operate in harsh sea conditions.

RV Tom Crean Specification Overview

  • Length Overall: 52.8 m
  • Beam 14m
  • Draft 5.2M 

Power

  • Main Propulsion Motor 2000 kw
  • Bow Thruster 780 kw
  • Tunnel thruster 400 kw

Other

  • Endurance  21 Days
  • Range of 8,000 nautical miles
  • DP1 Dynamic Positioning
  • Capacity for 3 x 20ft Containers

Irish Marine Research activities

The new state-of-the-art multi-purpose marine research vessel will carry out a wide range of marine research activities, including vital fisheries, climate change-related research, seabed mapping and oceanography.

The new 52.8-metre modern research vessel, which will replace the 31-metre RV Celtic Voyager, has been commissioned with funding provided by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine approved by the Government of Ireland.

According to Aodhán FitzGerald, Research Vessel Manager of the MI, the RV Tom Crean will feature an articulated boom crane aft (6t@ 10m, 3T@ 15m), located on the aft-gantry. This will be largely used for loading science equipment and net and equipment handling offshore.

Mounted at the stern is a 10T A-frame aft which can articulate through 170 degrees which are for deploying and recovering large science equipment such as a remotely operated vehicle (ROV’s), towed sleds and for fishing operations.

In addition the fitting of an 8 Ton starboard side T Frame for deploying grabs and corers to 4000m which is the same depth applicable to when the vessel is heaving but is compensated by a CTD system consisting of a winch and frame during such operations.

The vessel will have the regulation MOB boat on a dedicated davit and the facility to carry a 6.5m Rigid Inflatable tender on the port side.

Also at the aft deck is where the 'Holland 1' Work class ROV and the University of Limericks 'Etain' sub-Atlantic ROV will be positioned. In addition up to 3 x 20’ (TEU) containers can be carried.

The newbuild has been engineered to endure increasing harsher conditions and the punishing weather systems encountered in the North-East Atlantic where deployments of RV Tom Crean on surveys spent up to 21 days duration.

In addition, RV Tom Crean will be able to operate in an ultra silent-mode, which is crucial to meet the stringent criteria of the ICES 209 noise standard for fisheries research purposes.

The classification of the newbuild as been appointed to Lloyds and below is a list of the main capabilities and duties to be tasked by RV Tom Crean:

  • Oceanographic surveys, incl. CTD water sampling
  • Fishery research operations
  • Acoustic research operations
  • Environmental research and sampling operation incl. coring
  • ROV and AUV/ASV Surveys
  • Buoy/Mooring operations