Naval vessel LÉ Róisín undergoing sea trials around before dawn in Cork Harbour. Picture: David Creedon / Anzenberger
A consultancy firm has been appointed to headhunt globally for a number of specialists urgently needed to keep Irish naval ships at sea.
However, it has been warned it faces competition as there are similar skills shortages in the British Royal Navy, merchant navy, and cruise line industry which will all be trying to attract the same people.
The consultancy company, Flagship Maritime Consultants Ltd, started work on the project in May and is expected to report progress to top naval officials next month.
The naval service is critically short of technical experts, and the company is being asked to look worldwide in its search for suitable personnel to plug the gaps.
Ships cannot sail without some technical experts onboard, and the naval service has been dogged by this of late.
This year, up to the middle of June, it was unable to mount patrols on 39 days because of the lack of such technical experts at specific times.
In particular, it needs marine engineering officers, operations officers, radio and radar technicians, as well as engine room artificers (ERAs), electrical artificers (EAs), and hull artificers.
The urgent need to get such skilled personnel was identified again at the recent Government ‘roadshow’ on neutrality.
It was pointed out by a number of expert speakers that it is vital the State is able to deploy the naval service to protect our maritime assets within our Exclusive Economic Zone's (EEZ) 437,500sq km of waters.
Surveillance and protection of maritime resources will have to be beefed up considerably in light of possible attacks on subsea fibreoptic and electricity cables and because the country plans to harvest much more offshore renewable energy.
PDFORRA president Mark Keane at the organisation's annual delegate conference in Trim, Co Meath, in May. Picture: Moya Nolan
PDForra president Mark Keane, who is based at navy headquarters in Haulbowline, Co Cork, said there are skills shortages appearing across the maritime industry in general.
“It's somewhat ironic that in recent years some of our ERAs and EAs left the navy to go join the cruise line industry,” said Mr Keane.
"That industry has a shortage of skilled experts, and the Royal Navy and merchant navy are experiencing similar difficulties.
“These people’s skills are highly prized, and we've [PDForra] warned for years that the shortage was coming down the tracks and that people were voting with their feet because we didn’t have a proper retention and remuneration policy to keep them.”