In a decision by the Government, a formal announcement to decommission three Naval Service vessels, which represents one-third of the fleet, is to take place in the months ahead.

The patrol vessels according to The Irish Times, are the LÉ Orla, LÉ Ciara and the Naval Service flagship LÉ Eithne, which have been tied up for several years due to the lack of sailors to crew them.

Various options are being considered by officials for the disposal of the vessels, which are between 34 and 38 years old. One option under consideration is gifting them free of charge to a friendly nation. Another is to sell them.

Both options carry potential political pitfalls. In 2015, the Naval Service offshore patrol vessel, the LÉ Aoife, was donated to the Armed Forces of Malta, despite concerns expressed by Maltese sailors about its condition. It remains in service there.

In 2016, the 42-year-old LÉ Aisling was decommissioned and sold to a Dutch company for €110,000. The company sold it on a year later for €473,000 to a company in the United Arab Emirates, which almost immediately sold it to a company in Libya for €1.3 million.

It was then transferred to one of the participants in the civil war in Libya, in breach of a UN arms embargo, where it was rearmed and renamed Al-Karama.

The Department of Defence later said it had no “trailing obligations” in relation to the vessel.

Further reporting here also includes refurbishment of ships needed