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Second Customs Cutter vessel ordered
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18-02-2008 3:31pm#1Join Date:Posts: 14657
Not stricly military I know, but there are/were naval officers on the RCC Suirbhear, so thought I'd post it here:
Customs secure €6.3m equipment boost in battle against drug smuggling
16 February 2008
By Noel Baker
THE Revenue Commissioners are to spend up to €6.3 million on new equipment aimed at cutting the amount of drugs being smuggled into the country.
It was announced yesterday that Revenue will buy a second Customs Cutter vessel and a second X-ray scanner that will be used by Customs officers.
The plans to buy the cutter and scanner were announced yesterday at a ceremony in Dublin at which the Revenue Commissioners also unveiled its sixth Statement of Strategy.
The new equipment will cost a combined total of up to €6.3m and is a response to the increased quantities of drugs being smuggled into the country in recent years.
The existing Custom’s Cutter, called the RCC Suirbhear and which cost €1.6m when commissioned in 2004, is currently based in Cork Harbour. It has six crew and was recently involved in the seizure of €105m worth of cocaine at Dunlough Bay off the Co Cork coast.
It will now be joined by the new cutter vessel, which will cost €2.3m, the Revenue press office said yesterday.
As for the existing Customs Mobile X-Ray Container Scanner, it cost €3m and is used to detect drugs and contraband and can scan containers, trailers and vehicles in less than 30 minutes. Since it was purchased in February 2006 it has already been involved in the seizure of €17m worth of drugs and the seizure of cigarettes worth €6.3m.
Even though that scanner was only launched two years ago, another scanner will now be bought and is likely to cost between €3m and €4m.
Revenue said it was still considering where both the new cutter and scanner will be located, and added that both pieces of equipment are expected to be delivered and in operation by the end of 2009.
The new Revenue Commissioner’s Strategy also highlights the need for increased efforts to prevent drug smuggling.
In addition to its other priorities, such as ensuring general tax compliance and combating tax and customs evasion, the Strategy states that there will be “a particular focus on tackling the growing threat of drugs smuggling”.
The purchase of the scanner, cutter and the publication of the new Revenue Strategy was welcomed by Tanaiste Brian Cowen, who claimed the investments were “tangible examples” of efforts by Revenue and Government to tackle the drugs problem.
Minister with Special Responsibility for Drugs Strategy and Community Affairs, Pat Carey, who also attended yesterday’s event said: “The purchase of a second cutter and scanner, both of which are hoped to be in service next year, underscores the Customs Service commitment to the National Drug Strategy and to protecting society.”
http://www.irishexaminer.com/text/story.asp?j=mhcwgbsnkfmhkfau&p=3z69y9xx&n=32691999
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Another ONE! The drug smugglers won't be cancelling any trips because of that. There should be one in every port. Not two. And Fratton Fred is right. They need to be armed. Perhaps a para-military coast guard would be a better option.
As for Custaim. I hate those makey up Irish words too, which are just English words spelt funny. Remember all the BUS LANEs? They were all burnt off and replaced with LANA BUS, not doubt at great expense because, doubtless someone decided having English words on the road was offensive to the Irish people and another example of English imperialism.;)
It's kind of Allo Allo Irish
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Fratton Fred wrote: »I know they ARW are great, but can they walk on water as well
.. i wouldnt put it by them.. 0 -
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Join Date:Posts: 14657
If successive governments had supplied the NS with the vessels it asked for, including an ocean-going tug, this wouldn't be an issue. There's no need to start creating new organisations when a properly funded NS would do.
Interestingly, Ireland doesn't need an ocean going tug, we need at least two AHTS'
And the INS, with the greatest of respect to them, wouldn't know one end of a AHTS from another. How would they, having never used this type of vessel before, the specialised propulsion systems, let alone the type of work they undertake?
Again, why lump a military with non combative activities. Even fisheries patrol should be handed over to a civilian authority.
Funny how the Scots, for example, don't need armed vessels...
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Join Date:Posts: 14657
The NS could either get the training to operate these vessels or could hire in the people with the experience to operate them, it wouldn't be as big a deal as you seem to think it is.
Funnily enough, I used to work in the North Sea on the ships and I have first hand experience as to just how hard and demanding it is. I also did some 'ship command' training on a INS vessel and the two are light years apart. So no, the INS couldn't step up to the mark and take one of these ships to sea. As for hiring in people, I thought you were against that sort of thing...If you set up another agency to deal with such things you're going to have to give them a headquarters, port facilities, ships, equipment and uniforms; you're going to have to hire the crews and the management (no doubt the upper management would want big money) and you're going to have to pay for the upkeep. The NS already has the facilities and the organisational structures there in place, there's no need for a country as small as this to have duplicate agencies.
What could be done however, is to set up a similar agency to the Customs Cutter. With MN & INS crew onboard and to have two ships identical to the KV Harstad W 318/LMXQ. Then we could stop investing in gunboats and instead buy something which would start paying for itself.
KV Harstad W 318/LMXQ
http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=rWYZ_VibxGA0 -
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Join Date:Posts: 14657
That is the primary role of the NS, not it's only one. Having all those separate agencies when the work is already being done by one would be wasteful and create needless bureaucracy.
But how much time is spent by the INS carrying out its primary role? How big is our area of operation and how much time is spent boarding fishing boats and carrying out fairly menial and bureaucratic tasks? What percentage of drugs are getting through because our fleet is either in port or on fisheries duties? As for wasteful and needless bureaucracy, we already have a customs cutter (soon to be joined by another vessel), we have two fisheries research and hydrographic survey vessels and a navaid/multi-purpose ship. All are run by separate agencies and no one is calling their work wasteful or needlessly bureaucratic. The precedence is already their for specialised vessels.
Interestingly, I'm not the only one who believes in this approach:
What would a Coast Guard do that the NS couldn't?
Quite a bit, or so other nations think...
Coastguard and anti-pollution vessels from Rolls-Royce
27 June 2007
More and more authorities are specifying Rolls-Royce ship designs and equipment for coastguard and anti-pollution vessels.
Maritime states are increasingly aware of threats to their coastlines and exclusive economic zones (EEZ). The nature and seriousness of the threats varies from state to state. They may include fisheries control and prevention of illegal fishing, emergency towing of ships with engine or steering failure which represent a pollution hazard if they drift ashore, and pollution control and clean up should the worst happen. In addition come a host of other coastguard functions.
Some countries prefer to split their various coastal protection and EEZ management functions among different types of vessel. One type which has come into prominence focusses on emergency towing, pollution control and oil spill recovery. Over the years, Europe has suffered several major oil spill incidents which have caused grave environmental damage, economic loss and public outcry. The Torrey Canyon and Amoco Cadiz alerted Britain and France to the risks. More recently the Braer incident in Shetland and the sinking of the tankers Erica and Prestige off the French and Spanish coasts have also encouraged governments and authorities to have more and better equipment available. The risk is not just from tankers. A few hundred tonnes of heavy bunker fuel can cause havoc along the coastline as the Rocknes and Server incidents in Norway show, and large container ships with large quantities of bunkers are a potential hazard, demonstrated by the MSC Napoli casualty on the Channel coast of England. (I believe this was off the Devon coast – please double check)
Rolls-Royce has built up extensive experience in designing and equipping vessels to tackle these various tasks. The ships are stable and efficient working platforms and provide safe and comfortable living conditions for the crew. In each case the design is accompanied by a package of Rolls-Royce equipment and systems.
Iceland
The latest contract to be signed covers the design and equipment for a vessel ordered for the Icelandic coastguard, Landhelgisgæsla Islands. This multipurpose coastguard vessel is to be built by ASMAR in Chile. On completion in 2009 it will perform a variety of tasks, including coastguard duties and management of Iceland’s exclusive economic zone, fishery control, standby and rescue, emergency towing, pollution prevention, oil recovery and fire fighting. The new ship will replace Odin, one of Iceland’s three elderly but much respected existing coastguard vessels. It will have to operate over a very large area in a region with challenging weather conditions.. (Don’t think its wise/correct to link the two subjects) At the same time increased tanker traffic, particularly on the north west Russia to USA route, presents a pollution risk to Iceland’s easily damaged coastlines.
Svein Kleven, chief designer in UT-Design, said: “The starting point for the design was the Norwegian coastguard vessel KV Harstad which is a UT512. This vessel entered service at the beginning of 2005 and has proved very successful. Although the capabilities required of the Icelandic and Norwegian vessels overlap they are not identical, so the new ship for Iceland is 10m longer and also faster. The design has been given the type number UT512L and the ship will have an easily propelled hull with a bulb bow, a long forecastle, a foredeck gun turret, a large wheelhouse set well back from the bow, and a working deck aft. It will have a speed of more than 20 knots and accommodation for 48 people in single and two berth cabins.
A bollard pull of about 110 tonnes has been specified so that in emergency the new Icelandic coastguard vessel will be able to tow stricken tankers of up to about 200,000dwt.”
Rolls-Royce is supplying a package of equipment and systems to go with the design. Two Bergen main engines each rated at 4,500kW will provide the power in a twin screw arrangement with shaft generators on the main gearboxes and CP propellers. Although a substantial bollard pull is needed the high speed requirement made open water propellers the favoured solution. A Rolls-Royce dynamic positioning system will meet the IMO DP1 standard, working in conjunction with a Poscon joystick system to control the engines, propellers, high lift flap rudders with independent steering gear and the four thrusters. The thruster outlet comprises two 450kW tunnel thrusters at the bow together with an 883kW swing up azimuth thruster and there will be a third tunnel thruster installed in the stern skeg. The machinery can be run in several modes, reducing the amount of energy needed to satisfy the vessel’s many operating profiles and so minimising the environmental footprint.
Spain
Two coastal protection vessels of Rolls-Royce design have been delivered to the Spanish safety authority SASEMAR. The first, Don Inda, was handed over at the end of 2006 and was followed by Clara Campoamor in March 2007. They represent a massive strengthening of resources for emergency towing of vessels in trouble, salvage work if the worst happens and both minimising the impact of oil spills and skimming up floating oil.
SASEMAR wanted vessels that are very good at towing, with a large installed tower and powerful winches. Oil spill control and recovery was also a very high priority. The well proven UT 722 L offshore design proved to be a good starting point. However, the Spanish vessels are purpose designed and have a much deeper hull than the offshore design. Don Inda is 80m long with a beam of 18m. Four 8 cylinder Bergen B32:40 engines produce a total of 16,000 kW and are coupled in pairs to two CP propellers. The inner engine of each pair drives a fire pump. The result is a bollard pull of about 220 tonnes together with a maximum sped of 17.6 knots. The two drum hydraulic Rolls-Royce towing winch is matched to the bollard pull. In some situations these SASEMAR vessels will be required to push disabled ships, so there is a very large bow fender and an escort winch on the foredeck.
A comprehensive range of oil booms and skimming equipment enables Don Inda and its sister to clear oil pollution both on the open sea and in more restricted waters. Oil booms can be set out and skimmers deployed to collect oil. In confined waters, two 15m long floating arms can be deployed from the ship’s side in a wide vee shape. The vessel moves through the oil spill sweeping oil towards the recovery pumps.
An important (word missing) of these two vessels is the extremely large tank capacity for recovered oil, amounting to about 1,730m³. But compared with other vessels with recovered oil capacity this figure can be multiplied because an oil separation system is built in. Instead of the typical 50:50 mix of recovered oil and water pumped to the tanks, the separator discharges back to the sea water of a cleanliness meeting environmental regulations, so that the tanks are filled with about 95% oil and only 5% water. Recovered oil can be heated for pumping to another vessel or ashore so that in the event of a massive oil spill, the SASEMAR vessels can act as both oil spill recoverers and as pumping vessels.
France
Les Abeilles International in Groupe Bourbon is operating two coast protection vessels of Rolls-Royce design on charter to the French navy. Abeille Bourbon and Abeille Liberté were built by Myklebust Verft in Norway. The former is stationed in Brest and the latter in Cherbourg. The principal French requirements were to provide assistance to vessels at sea, deep sea towing, salvage of vessels in distress, fire and flooding control and antipollution activity. To met these requirements the UT 515 design was developed, and on trials Abeille Bourbon demonstrated a bollard pull of over 200 tones together with a speed of 19.8 knots at the maximum continuous engine rating corresponding to about 16,000kW. On deck Abeille Bourbon and sister are essentially laid out as deep sea towing and salvage tugs with a large two drum hydraulic winch.
The two new vessels have taken over at these key locations from the salvage tugs Abeille Flandres and Abeille Languedoc which were type UT 507 and built in 1978 and 1979. The old vessels have been very successful and remain in service but have moved to other locations.
UK
Some years ago the United Kingdom recognised the need for emergency towing and pollution prevention vessels to protect its long coastline. Following extensive studies the emergency towing vessel programme was put into action and Klyne Tugs won an eight year contract to station vessels on standby at key locations. The four broad operating areas are the Channel western approaches, Straits of Dover, Northern Scotland, and the west coast of Scotland. Two of the vessels were purpose built to a Rolls-Royce UT 719 T design derived from the multifunctional UT 719 offshore hull but optimised for the task, with a focus on towing and pollution prevention. Anglian Princess and Anglian Sovereign were built in China by Yantai Raffles and were delivered in 2002 and 2003. Recently Klyne Tugs won a two year extension to their contract from the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency MCA. through to 2011.
India
Rolls-Royce involvement in coastguard type vessels is not confined to Europe and Scandinavia. In India the first of three coastguard vessels for the Indian Navy is being fitted out at the ABG Shipyard. These three ships are specially designed by Rolls-Royce, have the type number UT 517 and the contract includes a full package of Rolls-Royce equipment.
Australia
In August 2006 the Australian government finalised a long term charter that bases the Swire Pacific Offshore UT 738 ETV Pacific Responder in Cairns to provide emergency towing services covering the northern Great Barrier Reef and the Torres Strait region. Announcing the agreement, the Minister for Transport and Regional Services Warren Truss said: “ The ETV Pacific Responder enhances Australia’s ability to respond to a shipping incident in this sensitive and important marine environment. The powerful ocean-going vessel is equipped to carry out other first response activities such as search and rescue. It is an important part of the National Maritime Emergency Response Arrangement and will significantly reduce the risks of ship-sourced pollution.”
Pacific Responder was built by Pan United in Indonesia to the UT 738 design with a Rolls-Royce equipment package. The 64.3m long, 80 tonne bollard pull anchorhandling tug supply vessel has been modified for its new ETV role.
For high resolution images, please contact
bente.andreassen.pilskog@rolls-royce.com
For further information please contact:
Arnfinn Ingjerd, Vice President, Communications - Marine
Rolls-Royce plc
E-mail: arnfinn.ingjerd@rolls-royce.com
Phone: +47 70 01 42 17, mobile: +47 90 52 10 65
Fax: +47 70 01 40 05
© Rolls-Royce plc 2007
http://www.rolls-royce.com/marine/about/news_centre/news/2007/newsitem11.htm0 -
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