Appledore Update – The Babcock Marine shipyard at Appledore is currently building two (2) new 90m Offshore Patrol Vessels for the Irish Naval Service, there is also an option for a  third vessel.    The order was placed in October 2010 for the two new “PV90” ship and they are designed carry a crew of 44 and have space for up to 10 trainees.   They have a planned cruising speed is 16 knots, with a top speed of 23 knots.    The two new 55 berth ships are to be fitted out by Moss Marine of Southampton in a £ 4.5 million pound contract.     Fitting out of the first ship is underway beginning in March 2012 with completion due in January 2014.     The first steel for these new vessels was cut in November 2011 with the ships due to enter service in January 2014 and January 2015.     Payment for the ships is planned to be extended over a number of years to 2017.

The new ships are planned to carry remotely operated submersibles and a decompression chamber for divers, which is intended to add enhanced capabilities to undertake search and rescue, search and recovery, under sea exploration and increased sea area surveillance. The expanded deck area will also allow the Irish Navy to deploy unmanned surveillance plans for the first time. The ships will also be equipped with dynamic positioning systems and "Power Take In Systems" which will enable fuel savings as the main engines can be shut down and alternative power sources such as stored battery power or a smaller more economical engine can be used.