MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Falklands promises “strenuous” efforts in defence of HMS Endurance

The cost of repairing the ice patrol could make the Royal Navy consider her withdrawal

Falkland Islands would make “strenuous representations” if plans to withdraw the severely damaged ice patrol HMS Endurance are implemented, was announced during a recent public meeting in Stanley.

Although the Royal Navy has refused to reveal the extent and possible cost of the flood damaged HMS Endurance, according to sources from Portsmouth the bill could be in the range of £20 million raising fears that she will not return to sea again.

A Royal Navy source said: “We're coming to the end of the survey work and it's becoming clear that it will cost at least £20m. And that figure may be much higher depending on the contract negotiations”.

Falklands’ Legislative Assembly member Mike Summers asked about the issue during a public meeting said “the repair bill is reported to be £20 Million” emphasizing that “there would be strenuous representations if the Endurance was withdrawn”.

Experts say the huge pressure on the Ministry of Defence budget means the Royal Navy is delaying a decision.

A final date for the inquiry into the flood has not been announced.

HMS Endurance, nicknamed the Red Plum because of her hull, nearly sank in December in the Magellan Strait when her engine room flooded. She was first rescued by the Chilean navy and taken to the Falklands. In April she arrived back in Portsmouth on a special transport ship.

However the Royal Navy so far has refused to comment on the cost of returning or repairing her.

Portsmouth South MP Mike Hancock, who sits on the Common's defence committee, said: “A cost of £20m is right at the upper limit of what people will accept, and they will probably be annoyed that the Navy has so far said nothing about such a large figure”.

He added that if “£30 million I'm sceptical that they will be able to get the decision through because of budget pressures, which is why we aren't hearing anything”.

Steve Bush, a former naval officer and editor of Warship World, said the Royal Navy might remove Endurance from service altogether.

“The cost of repairing Endurance is high when you consider how much competition there is for funding in the MoD. The Navy may try to remove Endurance because she's expensive, but when we removed the last Endurance Argentina invaded the Falklands in 1982”.