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Navy ships to be screened after asbestos discovery in Cork naval base

Tuesday, 22 April 2014 08:34

Two ships remain on lock-down at the naval dockyard at Haulbowline. It comes after asbestos was discovered on both the LÉ Ciara and LÉ Orla last month. Civilian workers exposed to the asbestos dust will be screened every two years for health defects. It is believed at least 30 civilian workers, employed by the Department of Defence, were exposed to the potentially deadly asbestos dust as they carried out a refit on the LÉ Ciara last month. No risk assessment was carried out on either the LÉ Ciara or its sister ship the LÉ Orla as a report by external consultants in 2000 showed that no asbestos was on board. The Naval Service is now seeking tenders through an EU-wide procurement for quotes to clean up the ships and remove all the asbestos safely. A series of other asbestos checks are now planned throughout the Naval Service. It has been reported in today's Irish Examiner that air monitoring in navy dockyard workshops and all other buildings at Haulbowline are to take place to identify if there is any other asbestos contamination. The Naval Service has also pledged to screen its other ships for the substance once the two ships in question have been cleared of asbestos and sent back out on operational duty.

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