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Displaying items by tag: NZ patrol ships

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. 

Published in Navy

About Warrenpoint Port

The Original Port of Warrenpoint was constructed in the late 1770s and acted as a lightering port for the much larger Port of Newry.

Following the demise of Newry Port Warrenpoint Harbour Authority was created as a Trust Port by legislation in 1971. The modern Port was completed in 1974 when it covered 28 acres. Since then the port has expanded to its current size of approximately 53 Acres. The Authority has just completed a £22 Million capital infrastructure project (under the terms of a Service of General Economic Interest with the Department for Regional Development) that includes, the construction of a 300 Metres of Deep Water Quay (7.5 Metres C.D), new Ro-Ro berthing facilities, additional lands and covered storage facilities and a new 100 Tonne mobile crane.

  • Warrenpoint Port is the second largest port in Northern Ireland and the fifth-biggest on the island of Ireland.
  • Warrenpoint Harbour Authority was created as a Trust Port by legislation in 1971.
  • In 2018, the value of goods moving through Warrenpoint Port was £6.5 billion. The Port handled 3.56 million tonnes in 2017, increasing to 3.6m in 2018.
  • The port employs 70 staff directly and supports over 1,500 in the local economy.
  • In addition to serving the markets in Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland, the Port deals with imports and exports from countries and regions across the world including to Spain, Italy, Sweden, Belgium, Germany, Ukraine and the Americas.