The Irish Naval Service vessels L.É EITHNE and L.É NIAMH conducted exercises yesterday off the South Coast of Ireland, as part of a week long fleet assessment, the Irish Defence Forces said in a release.
Some of the tasks involved included a scenario-based Maritime Interdiction Operation, which prepares armed Naval Teams for counter-narcotics and armed boardings at sea plus a casualty winching exercises with the Air Corps’ AW139 helicopter.
In the last six years the Naval Service has intercepted €1.7 Billion worth of drugs in Irish waters. On fishery protection duties, the Naval Service has carried out 474 boardings and 5 detentions so far this year.
L.É. NIAMH, an improved version of her sister ship, L.É.ROISIN, is the second of the Róisín class, built in Appledore Shipyard in the UK for the Naval Service.
L.É EITHNE is an Eithne class ship and the only helicopter patrol vessel in the Irish Naval Service. Built in Verlome Dockyard in Cork, L.É. EITHNE patrols the Irish EEZ and over the years she has completed numerous foreign deployments.
[mappress] Press Release, June 28, 2013; Image: Irish Naval Service