The future looks bright for Appledore, the UK Westcountry shipbuilder, as owning company Babcock says the yard has won a multi-million pound contract for a third Irish navy vessel, reports the North Devon Journal.
Enda Kenny, Irish Minister of Defence announced that an order had been placed with the shipbuilder for a third offshore patrol vessel (OPV) for the Irish Naval Service at a cost of £43 million (€54,000,000).
The new ship will be identical to the recently commissioned LÉ Samuel Beckett and the currently under-construction LÉ James Joyce.
The 90 metre, 2256 tonne vessels are designed to provide an operational capability for many years of service in the North Atlantic, the main area of operation.
Source: North Devon Journal