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IRISH NAVAL SERVICE

Acquisitions and future

In October 2010, contracts were signed for two new "offshore patrol vessels" (OPVs). The contract provided an option for a third vessel – which was later taken-up. A fourth vessel in the same class was ordered in June 2016.[47] Constructed by Babcock Marine in the UK to VARD Marine's PV90 design, the first ship, Samuel Beckett, was delivered in May 2014. The second ship, James Joyce, was delivered in 2015.[48] The third, William Butler Yeats, was floated out in March 2016 and delivered later that summer.[25] A fourth, named George Bernard Shaw, was delivered in late 2018, and commissioned in April 2019.[41] These Samuel Beckett-class OPVs replace the older vessel classes, such as the Emer class.

A number of these purchases were informed by a Whitepaper on Defence which expected acquisition of three new naval vessels over 10 years from 2015 to 2025, As well as the acquired and ordered OPVs, the whitepaper covered a multi-role vessel (MRV) – which would be potentially enabled for helicopter operations and have a freight carrying capacity – to replace the flagship LÉ Eithne. In 2017, a delegation of DoD officials and members of the Defence Forces visited New Zealand to inspect the Royal New Zealand Navy's multi-role vessel HMNZS Canterbury; it was suggested that a vessel of this type, capable of accommodating and deploying a full infantry company either by landing craft or helicopter, and with a fully equipped hospital, was what the Defence Forces were looking for, for the type of military and humanitarian missions undertaken by Ireland. Plans expect that LÉ Ciara and LÉ Orla be replaced with similar vessels but with counter-mine and counter-IED capabilities.










In August 2021, an article in the Irish Examiner reported that the DoD is exploring the possibility of acquiring two former Royal New Zealand Navy Lake-class inshore patrol vessels. If acquired, it is speculated that these vessels will be based on the east coast and operate mainly in the Irish Sea with the primary role of fisheries protection in light of Brexit.[52]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_Naval_Service

Só para nós é que um NPL como o Canterbury não serve, tal é a nossa capacidade expedicionária......

Abraços

[tenente]

Pois, já se adivinhava esta aquisição.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c723gj0d70eo

Acquisitions and future

..............In 2017, a delegation of Department of Defence (DoD) officials and members of the Defence Forces visited New Zealand to inspect the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN) multi-role vessel HMNZS Canterbury; it was suggested that a vessel of this type, capable of accommodating and deploying a full infantry company either by landing craft or helicopter, and with a fully equipped hospital, was what the Defence Forces were looking for, for the type of military and humanitarian missions undertaken by Ireland. Plans expected that LÉ Ciara and LÉ Orla be replaced with similar vessels, but with counter-mine and counter-IED capabilities. In August 2021, the Irish Examiner reported that the DoD was considering acquiring two former RNZN Lake-class inshore patrol vessels. If acquired, it was speculated that these vessels would be based on the east coast and operate mainly in the Irish Sea with the primary role of fisheries protection in light of Brexit.
By March 2022, the DoD had confirmed the acquisition of two such retired RNZN vessels, HMNZS Rotoiti and HMNZS Pukaki, for €26 million. The ships are due be transported from New Zealand to Ireland in 2023. The two vessels are intended to replace LÉ Orla and LÉ Ciara and reportedly require less crew to operate.

Abraços

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Não tenho dúvidas que o INS, vai adquirir um NPL bem antes da nossa Marinha.

Irish Naval Service Disposing of Three Vessels

The Irish Naval Service will decommission three of its oldest vessels this week. Peacock class patrol boats LÉ Ciara and LÉ Orla, as well as the flagship LÉ Eithne, will formally leave Irish service on 8 July. Notably, all three vessels will be decommissioned without replacements in active Irish service.

LÉ Ciara and LÉ Orla were acquired second-hand from the United Kingdom in the 1980s, while LÉ Eithne was built especially for the Naval Service, entering service in 1984. All three vessels have been out of service for years as a result of a personnel crisis gripping the Irish Defence Forces.

There has been some speculation, which the Irish Department of Defence has not outright refuted, that the two Peacock class ships may be sold to the Philippine Navy. The Philippine Navy is the only other operator of the Peacock class, and acquiring the two Irish vessels may provide them with a valuable source of spare parts for the ageing vessels. The Irish DoD told Overt Defense that several options, including a government-to-government transfer, are being examined.   

“No final decisions have been made regarding the disposal of the three vessels post-decommissioning. Department officials are examining options to determine the most efficient and effective manner to dispose of the vessels.”

Whatever their eventual fate, the two ships will be replaced next year by two Lake class Inshore Patrol Vessels purchased from Aotearoa New Zealand. What will replace LÉ Eithne is much less clear.

The Irish Naval Service is currently early in the process of procuring a “Multi-Role Vessel” outfitted with rotary-wing aviation facilities and cargo-carrying capacity. The new vessel, which will also serve as the new flagship, will be able to support a variety of missions domestically and internationally according to the DoD.

“It is the intention that the new vessel will be able to contribute across a number of Defence roles, with a design specification capable of providing a flexible and adaptive capacity for a wide range of tasks, both at home and overseas. It is planned that it will be enabled for helicopter operations and will have a freight carrying capacity.”

While no details about possible contenders have been revealed by the DoD, Babcock International previously told Overt Defense that its Arrowhead 140 platform can “fulfil” Ireland’s requirements. Another possibility is that a strategic sealift vessel similar to HMNZS Canterbury could be constructed for the Irish Government.

https://www.overtdefense.com/2022/07/07/irish-naval-service-disposing-of-three-vessels/

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[Get_It]

A Depleted Irish Naval Service Busted A Bulker Carrying Five Thousand Pounds of Cocaine (29 de Setembro de 2023)

Irish Forces Raid Bulk Carrier and Find 'Significant Quantity' of Cocaine (27 de Setembro de 2023)

Cumprimentos,

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como escrevi em 21JUL22, não tenho dúvidas que o INS, vai ter um NPL, bem antes da nossa Marinha Holistica.

Ireland moves towards procurement of new multirole vessel
25 JANUARY 2024 by Neil Dee

The new MRV is intended to replace the former Irish Naval Service flagship LÉ Eithne , which was decommissioned in 2022. (Michael Nitz/Naval Press Service)

The Irish Department of Defence (DoD) has issued a prior information notice for the procurement of a new multirole vessel (MRV) for the Irish Naval Service (INS) on the European Union's (EU's) Tenders Electronic Daily (TED) portal.

The information notice, published on 23 January, moves the Irish government's plan to procure an MRV into a new phase. The new vessel is intended to replace the former flagship LÉ Eithne, which was decommissioned in 2022. The procurement is estimated to cost EUR300 million (USD326.46 million).

The notice does not provide details on planned specifications; however, it says the MRV should be “capable of providing a flexible and adaptive capacity for a wide range of maritime tasks, both at home and overseas”. It is also expected that the new vessel “will also be enabled for helicopter operations, freight/personnel carrying operations, and will be the flagship of the Irish naval fleet”.

https://www.janes.com/defence-news/naval-weapons/latest/ireland-moves-towards-procurement-of-new-multirole-vessel

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Ireland’s OPVs will soon deploy Thales CAPTAS sonar to monitor subs, cables, and pipelines—fully operational by 2027. A major step toward protecting undersea infrastructure.



Ireland procures towed array sonars from Thales


Towed array sonars from Thales. From left to right: CAPTAS-4, CAPTAS-2 and CAPTAS-1

In June, officials from the Irish government signed a contract with Thales DMS France for the acquisition of variable depth sonars (VDS) to be delivered by 2027 to the Naval Service.

Ireland Government press release issued 15 June, 2025

The Tánaiste and Minister for Defence, Simon Harris, today announced the signing of a multi-million euro contract with Thales DMS France for the provision of towed sonar capability.

The sonar, the first of its kind in Ireland, will be used for monitoring and surveillance in the subsea domain, thus significantly enhancing maritime security.

The new sonar capability will be used on Irish Naval vessels to monitor activities in the Irish Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and, in particular, in the vicinity of subsea communication cables or gas pipelines.

Commenting on the award of the contract, the Tánaiste said:

“This significant investment in sonar capability will provide the Naval Service with a state-of-the-art sonar system, which will enable them to build a picture of our subsea, thus contributing to the important task of protecting our critical underwater infrastructure.

“This is one of many strands of work being progressed to address the threats in our maritime domain. It will serve as an important first step in creating a “pattern of life” in the subsea domain, with future projects further enhancing this capability.

“This investment will contribute to the Programme for Government commitment to focus on the protection of critical undersea. It also responds in part to the need identified in the report of the Commission on the Defence Forces, under Level of Ambition 2, for a number of maritime capabilities including the enhancement of sub-surface capabilities to monitor sub-sea cables.

“My department is also progressing the development of the country’s first National Maritime Security Strategy and a public consultation on this new strategy will be launched in the coming days.”

On the awarding of the contract, the Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces, Lieutenant General Rossa Mulcahy said:

“This advancement in capabilities of the Naval Service, through the procurement of towed array sonar, will enable our ships at sea to monitor the subsurface space within our maritime area. This capability will greatly enhance the Defence Forces’ situational awareness across domains and is a welcome advancement in the continued development and transformation of the Óglaigh na hÉireann.”

While the Naval Service and Air Corps regularly monitor activity on Irish seas, this new acquisition will enhance awareness below the surface, contributing to the overall maritime picture available to Naval Service and the wider Defence Forces. An enhanced maritime picture is also important for detecting illegal activities such as illegal fishing, drug trafficking, terrorism and espionage.

It is anticipated that this new capability will be available to the Naval Service in 2027.

Naval News comments:

Given the type of vessels currently in service with Ireland’s Naval Service (An tSeirbhís Chabhlaigh), the VDS being procured is likely the CAPTAS-1, which is available in a modular (containerized) form.

Contacted by Naval News, Thales declined to comment.

https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2025/07/ireland-procures-towed-array-sonars-from-thales/