It has been confirmed by the Department of Defence that it is currently exploring the possibility of purchasing two New Zealand navy ships to be used for fisheries protection duties in the Irish Sea.

The Irish Examiner understands that the ships are 'Lake Class' 55 m (180ft) inshore patrol vessels.

The Royal New Zealand Navy was supplied with four of them by British shipbuilders Brooke Marine. Two have since been decommissioned.

In a statement, the Department of Defence said: "A potential acquisition by Ireland of two Royal New Zealand Navy Inshore Patrol Vessels is currently being explored. No contractual agreement has been signed (as of yet), and in accordance with normal practice the Department does not comment on commercial discussions."

The ships being looked at are much smaller than the more modern vessels used by the Irish Naval Service.

The navy needs larger vessels to patrol the Atlantic, particularly due to the rough weather that can be experienced there.
However, the weather is not as bad in the Irish Sea and, therefore, smaller vessels like the 'Lake Class' inshore patrol boats would be ideal there.

Also, and just as importantly, the New Zealand ships need smaller crews than the larger Naval Service vessels.

Typically a Naval Service ship needs a crew of around 45 personnel. The Lake Class ships can be crewed with just 25 people.

More on this story including the crisis in personnel shortage.