Sinn Féin versus William the Conqueror
Ireland's decision to participate in a
European-wide initiative celebrating Norman heritage
and influence has drawn the ire of Sinn Féin. The initiative is called '2027 The Year of the Normans – People of Europe', and Cabinet approved plans to mark 1000 years since the birth of England's first Norman king William the Conqueror have been
labelled 'offensive' by the Opposition party.
In a move to start the flow of
humanitarian aid into Gaza
after Israel's near three-month blockade,
a majority of EU states
have backed a proposal to review the union's agreement governing relations with Israel.
The HSE estimates that the number of children on
waiting lists for disability or autism services
will grow from 15,000 now to 25,000 by the end of the year, something
disability rights campaigner Cara Darmody
(14) highlighted with a 50-hour protest outside Leinster House this week.
Independent Ireland TD Kenneth O'Flynn had a wish list comprising 10 separate items for his parliamentary office at Leinster House, including
a 'La-Z-Boy' recliner
for 'breaks and informal meetings.'
And the
skorts controversy
looks to have reached its conclusion after delegates at the Camogie Association Special Congress passed a motion to allow players to wear shorts by 98 per cent.
Plus, the panel picks their favourite Irish Times pieces of the week:
Joe Biden
's cognitive and physical decline,
hurling
at its most biblical, and the
four distinct categories
that leaders fall into.
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Irish Times
5 hours ago
- Irish Times
Why is a Russian ‘shadow fleet' using Irish waters?
Earlier this month, the Sierra tanker set off from a Russian port on the Baltic Sea laden with thousands of tonnes of crude oil and set a course for India. There was nothing unusual about that – Russia has continued to export vast amounts of fossil fuels despite the international sanctions imposed following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. However, when the Sierra, a 250 metre tanker, reached Dutch waters, it did something which left maritime and naval experts scratching their heads. Instead of taking the safest and most economically efficient route through the English Channel and down the coast of France, the ship abruptly turned north. It sailed all the way around the British Isles into the North Atlantic before coming down the Irish west coast on July 10th. It skirted down the very edge of the Irish Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) before continuing south to India. READ MORE Two weeks previously, the Marathon, another sanctioned vessel carrying Russian oil, made the exact same journey. The Sierra and Marathon are part of what has become known as Russia's shadow fleet and are just two of an increasing number of vessels which have been engaging in suspicious and sometimes bizarre behaviour around Irish waters in recent months. This has raised both environmental and national security concerns among Irish officials, especially given Ireland's extremely limited ability to monitor such vessels. An Irish Times investigation has identified 19 shadow fleet vessels sailing in, or just outside, the Irish EEZ since May. Five of these ships appeared more than once. All are subject to US or UK sanctions, while 11 are subject to EU sanctions. [ New €60m sonar system aims to protect transatlantic cables, gas pipelines in Irish waters Opens in new window ] The most recent sailing occurred on Saturday when the Matari, a crude oil tanker flagged in Sierra Leone, sailed north through the EEZ on its way to the Gulf of Kola in the Russian Arctic. There are various definitions of a shadow fleet vessel, but most involve a ship engaging in deceptive practices to transport sanctioned oil or other cargos. In the majority of cases, these ships fly the flag of a small country with a poor reputation for maritime regulations. Sometimes, as is the case with the Sierra which claims it is flagged in the landlocked African nation of Malawi, the registration is fraudulent (it previously flew the flags of Sao Tome and Principe, Liberia, Gabon and Barbados). The tally of 19 ships observed around Ireland recently is likely an undercount. The vessels were tracked using tools from Starboard Maritime Intelligence, a New Zealand-based marine software firm, and open source marine tracking platforms. Their location was based on the signals from their automatic identification systems (AIS). A defining feature of shadow vessels is that they often sail with AIS turned off, which makes them all but impossible to track. The figure of 19 shadow fleet vessels does not include the Shtandart, a replica of a historic Russian navy ship, which visited a Co Louth port earlier this month despite being under EU sanctions. [ State needs to invest in Navy and Air Corps to beef up our ability to protect vital undersea connections Opens in new window ] Many of the recent incidents in Irish waters involved ships engaging in unusual and economically inefficient practices, including sailing outside of recognised shipping lanes and taking the long way around Ireland on the way to the Baltic Sea. 'Vessels don't take longer routes, especially those that include the North Atlantic, unless there's a reason,' said Mark Douglas, a maritime domain analyst with Starboard Maritime Intelligence and a former New Zealand Royal Navy officer. 'The important thing about all of this is, I don't know why this is happening and no one else does either,' he said. One possible explanation for the growing number of sanctioned ships sailing up the Irish west coast is increased monitoring of traffic in the English Channel by UK authorities. UK officials are now challenging by radio an average of 40 shadow vessels every month off the British coast as part of a joint campaign with a group of EU countries to tackle Russian sanction busting. Christian Panton, an expert in maritime open source intelligence, said European countries are increasingly concerned about the presence of unflagged or fraudulently flagged vessels in their waters. The Russian oil tanker Sierra. Photograph: Marinetraffic/Hannes van Rijn The Shtandart, a replica of a historic Russian navy ship, in Dublin. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw He pointed to a recent joint communication from the NB8++, a group of 12 northern European countries, stating that 'if vessels fail to fly a valid flag in the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, we will take appropriate action within international law'. Ireland is not a member of this group, meaning vessels may feel more comfortable sailing off its west coast than going through the English Channel. Evidence suggests shadow fleet ships may also be attempting to avoid areas which impose specific environmental conditions on oil tankers. Since 2005, the Western European Tanker Reporting System (Wetrep) has required oil tankers to provide details of their crews, cargo and seaworthiness when sailing through a designated area. Ireland is a member of Wetrep and much of its EEZ is classified as a designated reporting area. Several of the shadow vessel ships tracked through the EEZ in recent weeks appeared to be just skirting the Wetrep area, meaning they did not have to provide details on their operations to authorities. The increased presence of the shadow fleet off Ireland has raised concern among national security officials. During one recent voyage through the English Channel, the Sierra was escorted by a Russian warship which had disguised itself as a fishing vessel. [ Ireland cannot protect its waters alone, UN expert says Opens in new window ] There is concern Russia intends to start regularly providing military escorts for shadow vessels to deter western intervention. This raises the chances of military escalation. Secondly, there is concern about the activity of shadow fleet vessels around Irish undersea cables. In a small number of cases, vessels have been observed by the Irish Air Corps or Naval Service loitering in the areas of these cables. Last March, the Arne, a shadow fleet tanker previously boarded by German federal police over suspicions of sabotage, was spotted by the Naval Service near undersea cables off Cork. The main risks to undersea infrastructure may come not from deliberate action but from the poor condition of shadow fleet vessels. Douglas points out accidents account for 90 per cent of incidents of damage to undersea cables globally. Many shadow fleet vessels are in poor condition and are crewed by inexperienced sailors. The countries they are flagged in take little interest in enforcing safety standards or crew working conditions. All of this raises the danger of an anchor being accidentally dropped and dredged across some cables, said Douglas. The biggest concern for Irish officials is that the poor condition of these ships could result in an ecological disaster. Eleven of the 19 ships identified in recent weeks were carrying full loads of crude oil when sailing off Ireland. The clean-up costs for an oil spill from a single shadow fleet tanker could be nearly €750 million, according to recent estimates from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air. Such an incident would be devastating to Irish waters, even if the ship was sailing just outside the EEZ, as was the case with the Sierra and Marathon. 'That is the thing would keep me up at night, more than anything with cables,' said an Irish maritime official. 'There are redundancies built into the cable system. There's no redundancy for an oil spill.' It is not an entirely hypothetical scenario. In January, the sanctioned tanker Eventin lost control while at anchor off Germany. The Blue, a sanctioned oil tanker heading for the Baltic, took an unusual route around Ireland. Photograph: Marinetraffic/Hans Rosenkranz Last week, the Pushpa, a shadow fleet oil tanker, reported losing control about 50 nautical miles off Malta. 'Imagine that on Ireland's Atlantic coast,' said Douglas. The right of Ireland to do anything about these ships is up for debate. Maritime law is ambiguous about the rights of countries to board or seize shadow fleet vessels. In April, the Estonian Naval Service boarded an unflagged shadow fleet vessel off its coast, but no other country has taking similar action. Ireland largely lacks the ability to conduct such operations, but some action is being taken. The Defence Forces and Coast Guard monitor many of these vessels as they pass through. The newly acquired Airbus C295 maritime patrol aircraft, which has extended range and more advanced sensors than its predecessors, has proven invaluable. Just last Friday, an Air Corps C295 set a course for the Mayo coast where it monitored the Blue, a sanctioned oil tanker heading for the Baltic and taking an unusual route around Ireland. It is understood the Defence Forces received prior intelligence about the ship, which has since left Irish waters. Earlier in the week, it intercepted the Belgorod, another sanctioned tanker sailing north through the EEZ. A Defence Forces spokesman declined to comment on the operations but said it 'maintains a continuous presence and vigilance within Ireland's maritime domain. 'We monitor all activity within our Exclusive Economic Zone as part of our routine operations to ensure the security and integrity of our waters.' The Department of Transport, which regulates maritime traffic, said the Irish Coast Guard 'has instituted specific measures to monitor the presence of these vessels and passage through and out of Irish EEZ'. It said the Coast Guard is specifically concerned about the increased possibility of maritime casualty incidents 'from such vessels'. A spokesman also pointed to several measures being taken to crack down on shadow fleet vessels operating without maritime insurance. Ireland is taking part in a one-month 'focused inspection campaign' to check the insurance documents of oil tankers calling to ports. It has also signed up to a new EU system to monitor shadow fleet vessels. Nevertheless, recent events suggest shadow fleet traffic is only likely to increase. Last week, the EU agreed an additional sanctions package for Russia which will further limit the legitimate market for its oil exports and increase Moscow's reliance on its shadow fleet.
Irish Times
5 hours ago
- Irish Times
Number of Russian ‘shadow ships' in Irish-controlled waters rises dramatically
There has been a dramatic increase in the number of sanctioned Russian ships, known as shadow fleet vessels, sailing through Irish-controlled waters, an Irish Times investigation has found. Nineteen of these vessels have been tracked passing through, or just outside, the Irish Economic Zone (EEZ) since May. Many of the ships have exhibited unusual behaviour such as taking economically inefficient routes or sailing well outside recognised shipping lanes. The trend has caused the Defence Forces and Department of Transport to step up monitoring of these vessels as they pass Ireland on foot of environmental and national security concerns. Russia was hit with broad-ranging sanctions following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Since then, it has increasingly relied on the shadow fleet to smuggle oil and natural gas to valuable markets in the global south. READ MORE A shadow fleet vessel is generally defined as a ship engaged in deceptive practices to transport sanctioned oil or other cargos. In many cases, the ships are registered in small, improvised countries which lack the means and will to enforce maritime law. The ships are often old and in poor condition, raising significant environmental concerns. Of the 19 ships tracked near Ireland since May, 18 were crude oil tankers. Twelve of the ships were carrying full loads of crude oil at the time. Twelve are subject to European Union sanctions with the remainder subject to US or UK sanctions. Previously, the number of Russian ships in Irish controlled waters was more sporadic, usually amounting to a handful a month. [ Sanctioned Russian ship intercepted by Coast Guard after docking in Louth Opens in new window ] Some ships have caused particular alarm due to their strange behaviour. For example, in recent weeks the Sierra and Marathon tankers left a Russian port on the Baltic Sea with full loads of oil for destinations in India. Instead of sailing through the English Channel, a quicker, safer and less expensive option, they opted to travel around the top of Ireland and into the North Atlantic. 'Vessels don't take longer routes, especially those that include the North Atlantic, unless there's a reason,' said Mark Douglas, a maritime domain analyst with Starboard Maritime Intelligence and a former New Zealand royal navy officer. 'The important thing about all of this is, I don't know why this is happening and no one else does either,' he said. One possible explanation is the UK has stepped up the monitoring of shadow fleet vessels in the English Channel. UK officials are now challenging by radio an average of 40 shadow vessels every month off the British coast as part of a joint campaign with a group of EU countries to tackle Russian sanction busting. Some of the oil tankers also appear to be avoiding designated areas which require them to reveal their cargos to authorities. Officials are concerned about the environmental risks posed by these ships, which are often crewed by overworked and inexperienced crews. The clean-up costs for an oil spill from a single shadow fleet tanker could be nearly €750 million, according to recent estimates from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air. There is also concern about the risk to Irish undersea cables from either deliberate or accidental damage by the ships' anchors. There have been several such incidents in European waters in recent years. The Air Corps and Naval Service have stepped up their monitoring of these vessels, despite their limited resources. Last week alone, an Air Corps C295 was deployed at least twice to track sanctioned vessels as they sailed through the EEZ. In addition, the Irish Coast Guard 'has instituted specific measures to monitor the presence of these vessels and passage through and out of Irish EEZ,' the Department of Transport said. It said the coast guard is specifically concerned about the increased possibility of maritime casualty incidents 'from such vessels'.
Irish Times
5 hours ago
- Irish Times
Government to unveil plan to invest €200bn in infrastructure
Plans to invest some €200 billion in Ireland's infrastructure over the next decade are set to be unveiled on Tuesday but Ministers will also be warned about the need to rein in current spending as preparations ramp up for this year's budget. The Government will seek to 'transform' Ireland's infrastructure over the next decade with housing , water, energy and transport prioritised for investment under the revised National Development Plan (NDP). Meanwhile, the summer economic statement (SES) – which will set out scale of the budget's likely tax and spending package in advance of talks with Ministers – is also set to be published on Tuesday. The updated NDP and preparations for this year's budget come against a backdrop of considerable economic uncertainty amid the ongoing threat of a trade war between the European Union and the United States. READ MORE The Irish Times understands that as part of the SES Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers will be reminding colleagues of the need to 'moderate' current spending. This has spiralled in recent years as governments responded to economic shocks including Brexit, the Covid-19 pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis. With the one-off cost-of-living measures of recent years also not expected to feature in the forthcoming budget, Ministers are also expected to be told that there is a need to switch from short-term measures to targeted, sustainable and permanent measures to support households. A Government source said both Mr Chambers and Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe will highlight the threat of trade tariffs as part of the SES which will outline 'the need to enhance competitiveness by investing in critical capital infrastructure'. The Coalition leaders and senior Ministers met over the weekend and funding allocations in the NDP for most departments have been agreed. Negotiations were last night said to be ongoing in relation to spending on the key priority area of housing. Mr Chambers confirmed on Sunday that up to €30 billion in additional funding is set to be added to the NDP, up from a previously mooted sum of about €20 billion extra, bringing the overall sums to be spent over the next five years to almost €100 billion. He said the Government will also set out a trajectory for another €100 billion in investment over the following five years from 2030. Mr Chambers told RTÉ radio the extra €10 billion being set aside for use between now and 2030 is for 'specific strategic investment' including for improving the electricity grid, water infrastructure and Dublin's MetroLink rail project.
