THE 48-year-old Aberdeen-built science ship, RRS Discovery, has come to the end of its working life. Its replacement is a multi-million pound project, paid for by the taxpayer, which would be a great project for any British shipyard, so where is it going to be built? Tyneside, the Clyde, Harland and Wolff in Belfast?

No, it will be built at the Spanish shipyard of CNP Feire.

Construction should have started last year, but due to the fluctuations between the pound and the euro the price shot up to £55m which was then described as being too high to represent value for money for the taxpayer.

Now, with the backing of Business Secretary Vince Cable and with the euro struggling, a new contract to build the ship in Spain has been negotiated. The new price? A bargain £75m.

Andrew Stephenson, Elton, near Stockton.