#AoifeAuctionUpdate – L.É. Emer (P21) which was sold at public auction this day last year to Nigerian interests for €320,000, was to be followed 12 months later with the disposal of sister L.É. Aoife (P22) however this has been postponed, writes Jehan Ashmore.

Commenting to Afloat.ie as to the decision to defer the auction date this autumn, the Naval Service said that they are planning for the decommissioning process of L.É. Aoife. However, no firm date has been set for this event which will be dependent on progress made on the build of the L.É. James Joyce. It is the responsibility of the Department of Defence reference the sale of L.É. Aoife thereafter.

In the meantime L.É. Aoife, the second of the trio of 'Emer' class OPV's is undergoing dry-docking at Cork Dockyard Ltd.  The shiprepair site at Rushbrooke was the former Verolme Cork Dockyard which completed the 1,019 tonnes displacement vessel for the Naval Service. She was commissioned 35 years ago when she joined the naval fleet on the 29 November 1979.

Cork based auctioneer Dominic J. Daly sold the leadship L.É. Emer to Uniglobe Group, however she remained in Cork Dockyard for work to prepare her new role and departed during this summer.

The auction of L.É. Aoife is part of a programme to replace the ageing series. Her successor L.É. James Joyce is the second of three OPV90 or so called 'Beckett' class on order from Babcock Marine in the UK.

When L.É. Aoife is eventually sold this will leave L.É. Aisling (P23) as the final unit to be disposed. She will be replaced by a third newbuild again costing €54m and due for delivery in 2016.