€26m naval patrol ships bought from New Zealand to finally be commissioned this week

The ships, renamed LÉ Aoibhinn and LÉ Gobnait, will operate in the Irish Sea on the east and southeast coasts

The two inshore patrol vessels at Haulbowline Naval Base. Pictures: Gerard McCarthy

Two ships purchased from New Zealand at a cost of €26m will finally be commissioned by the Naval Service on Wednesday, nearly 16 months after they arrived at the navy’s headquarters at Haulbowline in Cork harbour.

The two ships, formerly known as HMNZS Rotoiti and HMNZS Pukaki, were used by the New Zealand navy from 2009 to 2019 and they will replace the since scrapped Naval Service inshore patrol vessels LÉ Orla and LÉ Ciara.

LÉ Aoibhinn and LÉ Gobnait, as the ships are now known, are P70-class vessels. As they are much smaller than the P60-type ships such as LÉ George Bernard Shaw and LÉ James Joyce, they only need a crew of about 20-24 to operate them. That is about half of what the P60 class vessels require.

Commander Tony O'Leary, Tánaiste and Defence Minister Micheál Martin, Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces Lieutenant General Seán Clancy, and secretary general at the Department of Defence Jacqui McCrum on board one of the inshore patrol vessels in May 2023.

Their area of operations will be in the Irish Sea on the east and southeast coasts as they are too small to operate in Atlantic weather conditions.

The Department of Defence wants them to carry out fishery patrols and customs checks in the Irish Sea, primarily as a result of Britain having left the European Union.

LÉ Aoibhinn and LÉ Gobnait are 55m-long, weigh about 340 tonnes each and have a top speed of about 25 knots per hour (46km).

No decision had yet been made on where the ships will be based along the east coast. It is expected LÉ Aoibhinn will become fully operational before the end of this year but LÉ Gobnait is unlikely to be on patrol until 2025.

The Irish Examiner understands about 250 invitations have been issued by the Department of Defence to guests to attend the commissioning ceremony, which will take place from 3pm-5pm on Wednesday.

It is expected to be attended by Tánaiste and Defence Minister Micheal Martin, Defence Forces Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Seán Clancy and Jacqui McCrumm, who is secretary general at the Department of Defence.

Invitations have been issued to a number of other dignitaries including the Lord Mayor of Cork Cllr Dan Boyle and the Mayor of County Cork Cllr Joe Carroll.