A well-known installment on the streets of Dublin, Viking Splash Tours, is facing liquidation later this month as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The amphibious vehicle tour of Dublin - which culminates in a trip on the Grand Canal Basin in the docklands - has not operated since March.
Companies behind the tour business, including Duk Tours Ltd, will hold creditors’ meetings on November 26th.
Speaking on RTÉ’s At The Business show, joint director Des Rogers of Viking Splash Tours said: “We’ve invested our profits into the future which is new technology as every business should do as a business cannot stand still.
“We’ve got the new equipment, the new version of the next generation of the amphibian sitting on our shop floor which has been through its design and build and certification and we can’t put it into play.”
They’re in Dublin and they’ve been a feature of the city so they’re not going anywhere
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Mr Rogers explained that there is no commercial value in the vehicles "as you cannot get them certified in a new location... and you have to meet the European rules.
“They’re in Dublin and they’ve been a feature of the city so they’re not going anywhere. The trucks are WWII. One of our trucks is 404021. They are the original of the species and they demand a lot of TLC.”
Patented
Mr Rogers added that any potential buyer would have to take those working aspects into account.
“They are worthless in that sense. The only way we would go back is we retire the old fleet and brought in the new fleet and we have the technology, we own the rights, we’ve patented it. We built it ourselves. We are absolutely, dare I say it experts with a small 'e'.
“We have a version one sitting on our floor that’s been through our certification process and we have two under construction for the UK market sitting on someone else’s shop floor which are 80 per cent complete.”
Viking Splash Tours employs 30 people and brothers Des and Fergal Rogers, whose family owns the business, are its directors.
The latest accounts show that co-owner Duk Tours made €284,000 profit in 2018, while net assets were close to €3 million.
