The Naval Service has welcomed a pair of inshore patrol vessels (IPV) to its fleet following the arrival in Cork Harbour of the former Royal New Zealand Navy ships.

The 'Lake' series HMNZS Pukaki and HMNZS Rotoiti which were built in Australia to serve the RNZN until 2019, were purchased last year by the Department of Defence for a total of €26 million.

On Sunday afternoon the 156m cargo ship, Big Lift Happy Dynamic carrying the IPV's had arrived in Cork Harbour following a month long 18,000km journey from Auckland Harbour, New Zealand.

The heavy-lift cargoship passed Roches Point Lighthouse at the mouth of Cork Harbour and berthed at the deep water quay in Ringaskiddy, adjacent to the ferry terminal.

Unloading of the 55m vessels from the Dutch owned cargo vessel is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, once certain preparatory work is done.

The deck-mounted cranes of the Happy Dynamic will lower the IPV's into the water and then they are to be towed to the Naval Service’s HQ at the nearby base on Haulbowline island.

The IPV's each of 55m in length were formally handed over to the Department of Defence at a ceremony in Auckland on March 14th.

Representing the Irish government at the handover ceremony was the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue.

The Irish Times has more on the patrol vessels which are to replace the 1984 built coastal patrol vessels (CPV), L.E. Ciara and L.E. Orla which were decommissioned last year along with the flagship,L.E. Eithne.

The CPV's originally served the UK's Royal Navy as part of the Hong Kong squadron and in 2018 the 'Peacock' class pair marked 30 years of operations for the Naval Service.