Liverpool, UK: Marine Specialised Technology (MST) has recently delivered a 7.5-metre military boat to the Irish Naval Service Diving Section (NSDS).
The NSDS has been in existence since the late 1960s. It has become the primary state diving team, carrying out varied tasks for a number of state agencies.
"The new MST boat is great. [NSDS] is the only on-call operational diving team for the Irish Navy and we cover the length and breath of the country, dealing with explosive ordnance disposal; search and recovery of missing persons including inland waterways and vessels; salvage work; maintenance of the fleet; surveys on behalf of the state; and also maintenance of the Irish marine institute survey vessels," said Lieutenant Tony O'Regan of the NSDS.
"The new MST boat…will be used for all of the above, in all weather conditions, so she'll be worked hard."
The new 7.5-metre military diving platform (for both inshore and offshore work) is based on MST's 750 model. The custom built craft has twin Yamaha four-stroke outboards (achieving 36 knots) and features an aft helm position with a dedicated shock mitigating crew seat for the helmsman and a large working deck area forward for carrying a full dive team, their equipment and any mission specific apparatus.
The vessel features a dive ladder which stows into the A-frame thus avoiding the need for bulky stowage arrangements taking up space elsewhere.