By Andrew Bushe
DUBLIN — The Irish government has sunk more cash into the controversial Jeanie Johnston Famine ship project to keep it afloat and ensure it makes its planned transAtlantic crossing later this year.
The Kerry-based millennium plan to build the replica has had a troubled history and is way behind schedule. It had originally been planned to sail it to the U.S. and Canada last year.
The cabinet cleared the extra cash to ensure the three-master is completed and fitted out.
Marine Minister Frank Fahey said the £2 million in additional funds was "provided on the strict condition that the Jeanie Johnston Company prepare an ongoing viability plan for the vessel."
He also stressed that there was a "strict understanding" that the running costs of the vessel will not be borne by the government.
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He said it had been endorsed as a high-level project since its inception on a North-South political level.
"Withdrawal of support at this stage would send adverse signals as to the capacity and commitment of the State to deliver on an undertaking which has received high level support until now," Fahey said.
The minister said that this is the second time that his department has had to inject funds into the project and he is extremely concerned at the escalation of costs and evidence of past management inadequacies.
He is determined the additional funding will be carefully controlled and safeguarded.
"These funds will also be subject to the putting in place of appropriate management arrangements to ensure that the vessel is completed on time and within the revised budget, and that the 2001 U.S. voyage element of the project is properly planned and managed.
"I will shortly be convening a meeting of all stakeholders to agree a structure and terms of reference for an urgent review of the future use of the vessel," he said.
The vessel, which was launched by President Mary McAleese, has been dogged by cost overruns and the final price may be up to £10 million.
When the project was originally mooted, estimates of the cost of building the replica had been in the region of £3 million.
The project received strong cross-community support from both sides of the border, but fund-raising in the U.S. has not been as successful as had been hoped.
Jeanie Johnston Project spokesman Jim Finucane said the group hops to finish the vessel within the next four weeks.