Personnel shortages within the Irish Naval Service exacerbated by Covid-19 could cause implications for national security and sovereignty, a representative body has said.
New figures released to the Sinn Féin TD John Brady show that the number of “scheduled patrol days” lost this year in the navy due to “personnel issues” has hugely increased compared with the whole of last year. There were 28 scheduled patrol days lost due to personnel issues last year, while 118 days had already been lost to the end of June this year.
The navy has nine ships but only six of them are operational. Each must carry out about 160 days of scheduled patrols per year.
Conor King, general secretary at the Representative Association of Commissioned Officers, told The Times said that a “lack of resilience in human resources” had recently “plagued” the navy, with patrols cancelled due to the lack of qualified and experienced personnel.
“The obvious decrease in patrol days in 2021 due to personnel shortages should be of major concern to government, as it has a huge effect on the ability to conduct maritime defence and security operations effectively and safely,” King said.
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Scheduled patrol days can be impacted by other factors, including adverse weather conditions and unscheduled maintenance. A total of 52 patrol days were lost during 2019, along with 53 in 2018. No days were lost to personnel issues between 2015 and 2017.
Problems with staff retention in the navy are well known, with pay and other issues leading to many leaving the service.
The navy is the state’s main seagoing agency and is tasked with a variety of defence and other roles. Its primary day-to-day responsibility is to provide a fishery protection service.
Simon Coveney, the minister for foreign affairs, said that patrols of Irish waters were carried out on a “regular and frequent basis” and were directed to all areas of Irish waters as necessary. “Notwithstanding some mechanical and staffing challenges . . . the Naval Service continues to carry out the roles assigned by government,” he said.
Cathal Berry, an independent TD who previously served in the Defence Forces, said that the new figures showed the staff retention crisis in the navy was not only continuing but getting worse. “The pay is so poor for the work they are expected to do it’s not worth their while staying,” he said.
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“No other EU country, least of all an island nation, would tolerate this scandal,” he said. “With every patrol day [lost] more drugs, contraband, vulnerable people, fugitives and illegal weapons are coming ashore. The deterrent factor is completely gone. There are gaping holes in our defences now.”
The Defence Forces said that the increased loss in patrol days was due to the impact of Covid-19 on a number of government ships in the first quarter of this year, and added that some ships could not undertake patrols until the crew had been vaccinated.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Defence also said that scheduled patrol days lost due to personnel issues was not “solely related” to retention issues, citing the impact of several suspected or confirmed cases of Covid-19. She said that after several outbreaks of Covid-19 on ships, in consultation with medical personnel and the HSE the navy began to implement a “clean ship” policy that has aimed to ensure that ships have been able to remain at sea for their full scheduled patrol, barring any other impacts on operations.
