Bulk Carrier Cargo Ship Raided by Elite Army Ranger Wing and Gardaí Berths in Cork Harbour after Shots Fired at Sea

27th September 2023

The bulk carrier cargo ship MV Matthew, which was heading into international waters, did not stop when ordered by Naval Service officers on board the LÉ William Butler Yeats, which led to the offshore patrol vessel (OPV) firing warning shots. The 189m long Matthew was escorted into Cork Harbour and is berthed at the former IFI plant at Marino Point, upriver from Cobh

A bulk carrier cargo ship which sailed from the Caribbean was boarded by members of the Army Ranger Wing and gardaí, as the Panamanian flagged vessel was suspected of containing a large quantity of illegal drugs, berthed at the Port of Cork yesterday evening.

The 2.2 tons of cocaine recovered from the ship is being described as the biggest haul in the history of the state.

The 50,913 deadweight tonnes (dwt), MV Matthew had been boarded in the early hours of yesterday off the Cork and Waterford coast. The boarding operation, which took place in the Celtic Sea, was co-ordinated by a joint taskforce comprising members of the Naval Service, Revenue Customs Service and An Garda Síochána.

The bulk carrier, at almost 190m in length, was heading into international waters and did not stop when ordered by Naval Service officers on board the offshore patrol vessel (OPV) LÉ William Butler Yeats (P63), as the naval vessel then fired warning shots.

The 28,647 gross registered tonnage (grt) MV Matthew was then boarded by armed Army Ranger personnel. They are understood to have abseiled onto the deck of the bulk carrier from an overhead Air Corps helicopter in what has been described as challenging weather conditions.

LÉ William Butler Yeats (P63) fired warning shots

Once the 2001 built cargo ship was secured, members of the Naval Service, the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau (GNDOCB), and Revenue’s Customs Service were transferred to the ship. The cargo ship was then escorted to Marino Point located upriver from the port's main terminal at Ringaskiddy, where bulk-carriers routinely berth.

A statement from the garda press office said a significant quantity of suspected controlled drugs had been located onboard the MV Matthew.

About The Author

Afloat.ie Team

Email The Author

Afloat.ie is Ireland's dedicated marine journalism team.

Have you got a story for our reporters? Email us here.

We've got a favour to ask

More people are reading Afloat.ie than ever thanks to the power of the internet but we're in stormy seas because advertising revenues across the media are falling fast. Unlike many news sites, we haven’t put up a paywall because we want to keep our marine journalism open.

Afloat.ie is Ireland's only full–time marine journalism team and it takes time, money and hard work to produce our content.

So you can see why we need to ask for your help.

If everyone chipped in, we can enhance our coverage and our future would be more secure. You can help us through a small donation. Thank you.