Naval Service left with two ships to patrol Irish waters due to manpower crisis

Two more Naval Service ships are being withdrawn from active service due to crew shortages, leaving just two vessels to patrol 437,500sq km of Irish waters.

The Irish Times has learned the LÉ James Joyce and the LÉ George Bernard Shaw are being placed in reserve, with their crews being used to help man the Naval Services’ two remaining active vessels, the LÉ William Butler Yeats and the LÉ Samuel Beckett.

The move means Ireland will have fewer ships available to patrol than at any point since the 1970s and will likely raise concerns at national and European Union level about the country’s ability to ensure maritime security, enforce fishery rules and protect infrastructure.

It also raises questions about how the Naval Service will crew two inshore patrol vessels recently purchased second-hand from New Zealand for €26 million. The ships, which are intended to patrol the Irish Sea starting in 2024, arrived last May.

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With the latest move, the Naval Service has gone from a fleet of nine active ships to just two in the space of four years.

The news has been met with disappointment and frustration by military representative bodies which have been campaigning for better allowances and conditions to stem the exodus of naval personnel to the private sector.

“This is disappointing but not surprising. It’s an example of the Naval Service cutting its cloth to measure, due to an inability to attract and, more importantly, retain personnel,” said Conor King, general secretary of the Representative Association of Commissioned Officers.

“The reasons for this are well known; failure to implement safe and fair working conditions and failure to pay adequate allowances for hours worked.”

Gerard Guinan, general secretary of the Permanent Defence Force Other Ranks Representative Association said that, while not commenting on operational matters, the Naval Service will likely see near record numbers of personnel departing this year, he said.

Military management has determined the manpower situation is so dire that there are also not enough personnel to carry out onshore security duties around the Naval headquarters in Haulbowline, Co Cork.

The Defence Forces is examining the possibility of asking other nation’s navies to train personnel in an effort to quickly address the crisis. This follows the retention of a maritime recruitment company earlier this year to find personnel globally. This company, however, has warned the Defence Forces the hiring environment is extremely competitive.

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The Naval Service has 739 personnel, including 26 in training.

It hopes it can bring crew numbers back up so the Joyce can be put back to sea in December and Shaw at some point in 2024. Another vessel, the LÉ Róisín is also tied up while the LÉ Niamh is undergoing a midlife refit.

The Yeats recently returned from a five week mission in the Mediterranean, where it helped to enforce a United Nations arms embargo on Libya as part of Operation Irini. Part of the reason for taking part in the mission was to drive Naval Service recruitment.

There are provisional plans for another Naval ship to be deployed to Irini next year, sources said, but this will be contingent on personnel numbers.

The Department of Defence said it has been informed the Naval Service is “adopting a three ship posture with immediate effect”. Multiple sources said only two ships will be available for patrol, however.

“This strategic decision has been taken in order to streamline operations, bolster existing capabilities and ensure optimal resource allocation in the Naval Service,” a spokesman said.

The manpower crisis is impacting the entire Defence Forces, forcing military management to consider shuttering other operations. This includes possibly standing down the Fire Service in operation in the Curragh Camp in Co Kildare.

A Defence Forces spokesman said it is “reviewing all of our current operational outputs” to bring the organisation in line with the EU Working Time Directive. Its recommendations will be presented to the Minister for Defence once the review is complete.