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.