Financial sweeteners fail to stop mass exodus from the Naval Service

The Naval Service is currently operating without four ships due to crew shortages.

Financial sweeteners aimed at stemming the rapidly declining Naval Service numbers have failed, making it increasingly difficult to carry out key roles such as sea fishery protection and search-and-rescue operations.

In a communique sent by senior Naval Service officers to a member of the Defence Forces General Staff, they say the 'concerning and continual fall in (personnel) numbers' in the service, is 'hampering best efforts to provide the expected level of service to key stakeholders, and indeed the State'.

The 'restricted' communication, seen by the Irish Examiner, has further fuelled calls for an urgent response from the Government to tackle the deepening retention crisis in the Naval Service, which is currently operating without four ships.

LÉ Eithne and LÉ Orla were taken off operations in June 2019 due to crew shortages. LÉ Ciara is currently 'tied up' because she's so small there could be a high risk of Covid-19 transmission among her crew. It's not known when they will be fully vaccinated.

LÉ Roisin is coming out of a mid-life refit and when she does LÉ Niamh will go into dock for a similar overhaul.

The Government introduced a €10,000 (taxable) payment for personnel who signed up to undertake a minimum of 240 patrol days at sea over a two-year period. It also offered a tax credit for sea-going personnel.

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However, officers say those have failed to 'arrest the spiraling turnover'.

The navy is critically short of engine room specialists and soon, if any more leave, it may have to tie up a further vessel, or start cutting back on patrol hours. It is also short of officer marine engineers, radar technicians, chefs and medics.

The president of PDForra, Mark Keane, which represents 6,500 enlisted members of the Defence Forces, said: “The Naval Service is in grave danger of floundering if drastic measures are not taken immediately. How more desperate does the situation have to become before the government steps in and addresses these critical issues?”

The minimum strength of the Naval Service is supposed to be 1,094. However, they are understood to be more than 200 short of that figure. Experienced people are leaving for better pay and conditions in the private sector and recruitment is not keeping pace.

RACO general secretary Commandant Conor King, who represents 1,100 Defence Force officers, said the navy is only at 81% of its proper strength and “worryingly” more have signaled they want to leave.

“The strength of Marine Engineer operational Lieutenants at sea is below 50%. This has a profound impact on operational capability,” he said.