One of two naval ships acquired from New Zealand for €26 million remains non-operational more than a year after arriving in Ireland.
The LÉ Gobnait and the LÉ Aoibhinn were purchased second hand in 2023 from the Royal New Zealand Navy before going through a year-long process to make them suitable for use by the Irish Naval Service.
The ships arrived in Ireland in March 2024 before being commissioned in September and named after female mythological figures.
At the time, the Department of Defence said the acquisition represented a rejuvenation and expansion of the Irish naval fleet which would help bolster recruitment.
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The ships, which each have a crew of 20 and are lightly armed, are significantly smaller than other vessels in the fleet. Their small crew requirements were one of the key reasons behind their purchase due to the manpower crisis affecting the Defence Forces and the Naval Service in particular.
However, 15 months after arriving in Ireland, the LÉ Gobnait has yet to be deployed in an operational role in Irish waters and, like much of the rest of the naval fleet, remains tied up in Haulbowline Naval Base in Cork.
Military sources said there are not enough personnel available to put the Gobnait to sea. The vessel also requires the installation of further equipment to make it operational.
Sources said it will be at least another three months before it can enter active service.
The Gobnait and Aoibhinn are inshore patrol vessels designed to operate near the Irish coast. Their primary function is fishery protection, but they can also take on other maritime security roles, including surveillance of suspicious vessels.
[ Naval Service sending out just one patrol a day to monitor Irish watersOpens in new window ]
It is expected the ships will eventually operate out of a proposed naval base in Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin, and will mainly patrol the east coast.
The Government is currently in talks to secure short-term berthing facilities in Dún Laoghaire for the next five years.
The Naval Service has been ordered to prepare a business case for the construction of a permanent base in Dún Laoghaire or elsewhere on the east coast.
In theory, two of the Naval Service’s eight vessels are supposed to be at sea at any one time. However, due to staffing issues, this has not always been possible in the last year.
There are currently 745 naval personnel, including those in training. The Government has said personnel strength has stabilised in recent months after years of decline. However it still remains below its target of 1,094.
Personnel shortages have significantly affected operations through the organisation. Earlier this year, the Naval Service was forced to send a ship on patrol with non-functional weapons due to a lack of maintenance staff.
In March, the service prepared an action plan on how to get ships back to sea as soon as possible. This has been submitted to the Government.
In response to queries, a Defence Forces spokeswoman said it does not comment on the operational capacity of the fleet.
She said the Defence Forces is focused on the “retention of our personnel and on general service recruitment, which has seen an encouraging return to positive figures through the recruitment efforts across the organisation”.
“Most recently, 38 new naval service recruits commenced their training at the Joint Induction Training Centre on Monday last.”
