The manpower crisis in the Naval Service has deepened again, with ships being delayed going on patrol because they are short of a specialist crew member. LÉ Niamh was to go on patrol last Monday but was forced to cancel sailing when a communications specialist earmarked for the four-week patrol was unable to join the crew due to illness. This continuing exodus comes amid growing concern that despite promises made two months ago by Defence Minister Simon Coveney to instigate emergency measures to provide additional remuneration for Naval Service personnel, this has yet to materialise. "It's therefore no surprise that keeping ship crews so lean means there is no contingency plan and this will always have the potential to prevent an entire ship’s crew from deploying on patrol." It is hoped that a replacement crew member will be found for LÉ Niamh this weekend, which will allow her to go on patrol.

Source: Irish Examiner September 12, 2020 05:30 UTC