Ireland to buy two warships from New Zealand to bolster naval fleet

The purchase comes at a time when the Naval Service is critically short of personnel. File photo

The government is set to shortly announce a deal to purchase two warships from New Zealand to bolster the country's maritime security while the Naval Service has gone into overdrive to recruit more personnel to fill its depleted ranks.

The Irish Examiner understands many months of negotiations between the Irish and New Zealand governments have resulted in an agreement to buy the two ships, which were decommissioned as they didn't fit into the New Zealand navy's long-range patrol requirements.

The short-range ships are, however, ideal for the Irish navy's requirements to protect the Irish Sea as they don't need to be as robust as the P60 vessels that have to endure wilder Atlantic voyages. They also can be crewed by fewer personnel.

While the cost of the ships has yet to be published, it's known that they are 'Lake Class' vessels.

These warships are smaller, at 180ft long, than the larger and more modern warships P60 class ships - such as LÉ James Joyce and LÉ George Bernard Shaw - which the Naval Service relies on for Atlantic patrols.

The British-built New Zealand ships will be used extensively for fisheries patrols in the Irish Sea and are likely to be based on the east coast.

The Naval Service P60s need a crew of around 45 each, but the Lake Class vessels need only 25.

The purchase comes at a time when the Naval Service is critically short of personnel. At present, it has 200 fewer people than its minimum strength of 1,094.

As a result of this, in June 2019, it was forced to tie up two ships, the flagship LÉ Eithne and LÉ Orla.

Since then, it has lost more personnel who have quit for better pay and conditions in the private sector.

As a result, crewing the two smaller ships will present an issue and may lead to another ship, LÉ Ciara, being tied up as well and her crew being transferred to other vessels across the fleet.

To try and address staff shortages the Naval Service has recently embarked on a major recruitment campaign, sending personnel to schools, shopping centres and markets in a bid to drum up an interest in the navy as a career choice. 

The recruitment drive is targeting people ages 18-27 for general sailors positions.

The service is also critically short of specialists in many key areas. In some cases, patrols have been delayed because the crew was short of a specialist to come on board.

It's also embarked on advertising a number of 'direct entry' positions for specialists working in the private sector.

These vacant positions include marine engineers, engine room fitters, carpenters, chefs and electricians.

Those who are involved in the recruitment drive speak passionately about their careers in the navy, the friendships they've made and the skills they've learnt on the job.