A SYSTEM will be established to allow for voluntary contributions to salvage the national sail-training vessel, Asgard II, the Dáil has heard.

Minister for Defence Willie O’Dea said that if the contributions were sufficiently high, the Government may “possibly top them up”.

He was responding to Fine Gael defence spokesman Jimmy Deenihan who asked who now owned the vessel and if there was an obligation to remove it from French waters where it sank in a storm last year. “Is there anything to prevent some other country or group from salvaging the ship?” asked Mr Deenihan.

Insisting the vessel was still Government-owned, Mr O’Dea said a number of people had expressed an interest in making “a contribution towards salvaging the Asgard. I intend to put a system in place through the board of Coiste an Asgard to facilitate them.” He said he had not been informed of any obligation to remove the vessel but “if the contributions are sufficiently high, we could possibly top them up. I am keeping that option open.”

Mr Deenihan referred to comments of the Asgard’s captain that the vessel could be salvaged and repaired and he asked the Minister if rejected claims by Capt Colm Newport who questioned the competency of the board of Coiste an Asgard to recommend not to salvage and restore the vessel.

Mr O’Dea had not spoken to Capt Newport but his advice “is that despite those comments, it was uncertain what condition the Asgard would be in if we salvaged it”.