This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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New fishery protection vessel
11/07/2003
A new Fishery Protection Vessel (FPV) was given the go
ahead today to go to tender. The vessel will be a
replacement for the FPV Sulisker and will cost around
£15m.
Fisheries Minister Ross Finnie said:
"The Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency (SFPA) has
made clear to me its needs for enhanced offshore marine
surveillance. I have therefore agreed to allocate up to
£15m of end of year flexibility (EYF) savings to the SFPA
to allow the early procurement of an 80 metre vessel to
replace the Sulisker.
"The new vessel will be longer and faster than any now
available to the Agency and will give it a capacity to
operate in deeper and more difficult waters. The vessel
will be powered by a modern, fuel efficient, low-emission
diesel electric propulsion system.
"This continued investment in the SFPA's marine
surveillance capability supports the Agency's key role in
ensuring the sustainability of the Scottish fisheries
sector."
The SFPA is an Executive Agency and is tasked to enforce
UK, EU and other international fisheries legislation in
Scottish fishing waters and ports around Scotland. Its
operating budget for 2003-04 is just over £16m and its
capital budget is £0.3m.
In the 2003-04 Autumn Revised Budget the Executive will
increase the Agency's capital provision by up to £15m.
The procurement process for the new vessel will be
started shortly, with a view to the award of contract in
six months time. The procurement process will follow all
the relevant EU procurement requirements for fair and open
tender.
It is hoped that the new vessel will enter service by
the middle of 2005.
The remaining two SFPA offshore vessels (Vigilant and
Norna) are 21 years and 16 years old respectively. Plans
for the replacement of these Vessels will be considered in
the context of the 2004 Spending Review, when Ministers
will decide their spending priorities for 2005-06, 2006-07
and 2007-08.