Irish Naval Service Plans €300 Million Support Ship Buy - Similar to HMNZS Canterbury

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HMNZS Canterbury recovers a French Armed Forces SA 330 Puma near the island of Lifou, New Caledonia. Ireland has previously expressed interest in a vessel with similar capabilities to Canterbury. Note the lowered stern ramp and helicopter pad. (Commonwealth of Australia)

Irish Naval Service Plans €300 Million Support Ship Buy

The Republic of Ireland has issued a pre-solicitation for the procurement of a new multi-role vessel (MRV) to replace the Irish Naval Service’s former flagship, LÉ Eithne (P31), which was decommissioned in 2022.  

Ben Felton  07 Feb 2024

According to a Prior Information Notice (PIN) issued by the Irish Department of Defence (DoD) on January 23rd, the new vessel will provide the Irish Naval Service with a flexible platform, able to perform a variety of missions. In a first for the Naval Service, which has seldom deployed vessels overseas, the new MRV will be designed from the outset to support operations both at home and overseas. 

The Irish Naval Service has long-sought to develop its ability to conduct higher-end naval operations through the procurement of some kind of multi-role naval capability. In 2017, a team from Ireland toured the Royal New Zealand Navy’s HMNZS Canterbury (L421), and received a briefing on its various capabilities.

Notably HMNZS Canterbury, like many Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN) vessels acquired through Project Protector in the early 2000s, traces its design heritage back to Ireland. While Canterbury was based on a commercial Irish Sea ferry, MV Ben-My-Chree, the RNZNs two offshore patrol vessels HMNZS Wellington (P55) and Otago (P148) were developed from the Irish Naval Services Roisin class patrol vessels. 

HMNZS Canterbury transits through Marlborough Sounds as a RHIB moves behind as part of Exercise Southern Katipo. (Crown Copyright)

While the document published by the DoD is fairly sparse in detail, it does provide a rough budget for the project, as well as a high-level overview of the desired capabilities. In terms of capability, according to the notice, the vessel will be outfitted for organic helicopter operations as well as freight and cargo carrying-duties. It will also be able to perform “other” maritime roles. 

Growing Costs Associated with MRV Project

Since 2017 the cost of the MRV project has consistently been quoted in Irish media at around €200 million. However, the January advance procurement notice lists the total value of the project as €300 million (~$324mn USD), an €100 million increase. 

It is unclear why exactly the budget for the project has increased so substantially, however, there are a variety of possible reasons for the cost growth. The level of capability that Ireland wants, for example, could have grown since the project began, especially due to the global geopolitical situation which has deteriorated markedly since 2017. Inflation and exchange rate fluctuations could also be a factor in the price increase. It’s also possible that the original €200 million budget was only for the ship itself, and didn’t include the requisite infrastructure, training, personnel, or sustainment costs. 

A scale Arrowhead 140 model on display by Babcock during DSEI 2021. (Naval News)

A better picture of the ships desired capabilities, and thus the likely candidates, will emerge in October this year when a more thorough contract notice is expected to be issued. In the meantime, Irish media has reported that both Babcock International, with it’s Arrowhead 140 design, and Damen with a variant of the Dutch Navy’s Joint Support Ship (JSS) are interested in the requirement. However, neither company responded to questions from Naval News. 

The Royal Netherlands Navy’s HNLMS Karel Doorman. (Royal Netherlands Navy)

Perhaps the biggest question hanging over the project, however, is how the Irish Naval Service will crew the new vessel. Like many Western navies, the Naval Service has long-struggled to attract personnel, however, in recent years the shortage has become critical with all-but two ships laid up without crews as of December 2023.