Viable explosive device at Limerick plant rendered safe
The Defence Forces Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) team was called to assist An Garda Síochána, following the discovery of a "suspected device" in the area.
They were working at the scene from just before 7pm on Friday until 1pm yesterday morning.
Following an assessment, the EOD team confirmed the device was viable and it was rendered safe, the Defence Forces added.
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RTÉ News
2 days ago
- RTÉ News
Data flags hundreds of Russian 'shadow fleet' visits to Irish EEZ
Some 245 so-called 'shadow fleet' vessels passed through Ireland's maritime Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) more than 450 times in the first seven months of this year, according to data obtained by RTÉ. Several countries under international sanctions operate "shadow fleets". Most of the vessels, many of which analysts say are poorly maintained and lack proper insurance, are Russian-affiliated and used to help Russia export oil and circumvent oil price caps imposed as part of western sanctions. Seventy two vessels which have been directly named on sanctions lists transited through the Irish EEZ in the time period, which covers 1 January to 23 July. Experts have warned that their continued movement through Irish waters poses a serious environmental risk and undermines international efforts to isolate Russia's energy sector which is used to fund the country's war in Ukraine. Ireland's maritime EEZ extends roughly 370km off the west coast and is the site of major international shipping routes and multiple globally-important undersea cables. Countries are obligated under the UN Law of the Sea to monitor activities within their EEZ, prevent illegal activity, and control pollution. Vessels suspected of being part of the Russian shadow fleet often use deceptive practices, including falsifying paperwork, to try to obscure the origin, destination and selling price of Russian oil on board. They have been linked to damage caused to undersea cables in recent months, in particular in the Baltic Sea. Shadow fleet vessels have also conducted activities considered risky at sea, including turning off location transponders and conducting ship-to-ship oil transfers. The figures for activity in the Irish EEZ were provided by maritime intelligence company Windward, which uses satellite imagery and AI technology to spot and monitor ships, including those which turn their transponders off. A specific break down of the data on visits to the Irish EEZ during the first five months of the year was also provided by Windward. It showed that 40 of the 162 vessels which entered the Irish EEZ during that time frame were directly sanctioned with clear Russian affiliation. Five of those were sailing under the Russian flag, while six were beneficially-owned by Russian companies. Most of the others were flying under what are known as "flags of convenience," meaning they were registered in countries with minimal oversight. These can be used to disguise ownership and thereby avoid scrutiny and evade sanctions. Windward links the others to the shadow fleet through research and analysis of maritime activities. The top five "flags of convenience" on shadow fleet vessels travelling through the Irish EEZ were from the Marshall Islands, Liberia, Malta, Comoros and Panama. Asked about its monitoring of shadow fleet activity within the Irish EEZ, the Defence Forces said, "while it is our policy not to comment on specific operational matters, all relevant information gathered in support of Maritime Domain Awareness is shared in a timely manner with the appropriate national and international authorities." "The Defence Forces, through the deployment of Naval Service and Air Corps assets, maintains a continuous presence and vigilance within Ireland's maritime domain. We monitor all activity within our Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) as part of our routine operations to ensure the security and integrity of our waters." Irish Coast Guard data released Separately, data from the Irish Coast Guard released under the Freedom of Information Act and analysed by RTÉ,shows that the service also picked up signals from four western sanctioned Russian registered vessels in Irish EEZ waters since the turn of the year. RTÉ used vessel tracking website to trace the activities of these vessels around the time they were referenced in the Coast Guard data. The Valentin Pikul carried out three ship-to-ship transfers with a Russian bunkering vessel in Murmansk in northwestern Russia between 30 March and 10 April, one week after it passed through Irish EEZ waters on 23 and 24 March. The European Union-sanctioned Russian vessel Bratsk sailed through the Irish EEZ on 26 and 27 April, turning off its location transponder as it proceeded north off the Donegal coast. The Russian-flagged crude oil tanker Belgorod transmitted intermittent location data as it travelled through Ireland's EEZ on 6 and 7 May, two months after EU sanctions on the vessel were announced. The Primoyre passed the Irish coast twice between 13 April and 2 May, going 'dark' to location tracking services for periods while off the coast of Clare and later Donegal. Tony Cudmore, a retired Brigadier General with the Irish Defence Forces, said "an awful lot of this activity is intended to provoke and possibly to call into question the State's authority." "The danger is that a perception is being created that the State's authority in this area is being diminished," he added. He warned that there is also a significant environmental risk linked to the oil tankers, and that the clean-up cost would likely have to be borne by Ireland in the event of an oil spill while a vessel was uninsured. "These ships are like having vehicles travelling on your roads which have no NCT. They have no insurance. They probably have not been serviced correctly. It's quite possible that even their drivers, their masters, may not have professional competence," he said. As of May 2025, vessels transiting through EU EEZ waters, including Ireland, are required to provide proof of valid insurance even if they do not enter an EU port. CEO and co-founder of Windward, Ami Daniel, said some countries have recently started to take enforcement actions, and Ireland could follow their lead. "In the last month or two we are seeing the UK and the EU take a voluntary approach of questioning vessels who are transiting, on the radio - asking for their insurance coverage and other safety parameters," Mr Daniel said. In January, German authorities confiscated an oil tanker believed to be part of the Russian shadow fleet off the country's Baltic Sea coast. The Panama-flagged vessel, the Eventin, had been on its way from Russia to Egypt with a cargo of around 100,000 metric tons of oil, worth some €40 million. Ami Daniel believes Ireland could take other steps to challenge vessels operating without insurance or valid maintenance records. "It's not just enforcement at sea. It's enforcement on the flags [of convenience] and what they do with the flag states," Mr Daniel said. "The Irish Government can absolutely reach out to them and send them letters. For instance, are they allowing them to do ship-to-ship transfers and get fuel or other provisions while out there?" he added. The Department of Transport told RTÉ that the Irish Coast Guard, through its responsibility for search and rescue, maritime casualty and pollution response, actively monitors traffic in Irish waters and recognises the "risk that some of these vessels pose." "These risks include the increased possibility of a maritime casualty and search and rescue incidents from such vessels. For this reason, the Coast Guard has instituted specific measures to monitor the presence of these vessels and passage through and out of Irish EEZ" it said in a statement. Sanctions impact Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the EU, UK and the US have imposed restrictions on Russia's energy sector, aiming to weaken its economy and limit its ability to fund the war. As part of that, specific ships have been banned from EU territorial waters, denied insurance, and prevented from accessing certain maritime services as well as all European ports and territorial waters. Last week the EU announced its 18th sanctions package against Russia which includes an additional 105 vessels being banned from accessing EU ports and locks, or undertaking ship-to-ship transfers of oil. The UK also placed sanctions on 135 oil tankers in Russia's "shadow fleet" this week. In total, the EU has now imposed sanctions on more than 400 shadow fleet ships. All European ports are also effectively barred from temporarily storing, handling, or processing Russian crude oil and petroleum products, with limited exceptions. However, even with the sanctions, income generated by Russia's exports have remained stable. The federation exported 7.8million barrels of oil per day in 2021, a figure that had dipped only slightly three years later to 7.5million barrels per day, as it successfully redirected supplies to countries like China and India, according to the International Energy Agency. John O'Brennan, Professor of European Politics at Maynooth University, attributes that at least in part to the activity of the shadow fleet, and says that individual European countries could do more to step up enforcement at a national level. "Some national authorities within the EU have been less than vigilant about upholding those sanctions. That gap is one that Russia has been successfully able to exploit over the last couple of years," Prof O'Brennan added. Prof O'Brennan noted some Greek shipping owners have been prominent in selling their old vessels on to Russia to repurpose, rather than spending money on scrapping them.
Irish Examiner
2 days ago
- Irish Examiner
Government urged to clarify military intelligence powers in new phone tapping legislation
An oversight judge on phone tapping said it was 'imperative' the Government urgently clarified in law the roles and powers of military intelligence in safeguarding the security of the State. In his 2025 report, Mr Justice Tony O'Connor said the Defence Forces recently built a new high-security facility for the Irish Military Intelligence Service (IMIS). The service moved into the building last March, but the service is still awaiting Government measures to modernise and legislate for its national security remit. Mr O'Connor is the designated judge for the Interception of Postal Packets and Telecommunications Messages Act 1993 and Communications (Retention of Data) Act 2011, as amended by the 2022 act. In his report to the Taoiseach for May 1, 2024, to April 1, 2025, Judge O'Connor repeated his calls for online communication, including encrypted services to be included in the laws. This includes Gmail, Outlook, Microsoft Teams, FaceTime, Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp. The interception legislation is now 32 years old and successive governments have promised updated laws, with the current administration telling the Dáil a draft bill is due later this year. An Garda Síochána and the Defence Forces utilise powers of interception, the former for the investigation of serious crime and State security and the latter for State security only. Other agencies, such as Revenue and Fiosrú (formerly Gsoc), have powers under the 2011 act on communication (not content) data. The role of designated judges have now been taken over by the new independent examiner of security. Mr O'Connor, like designated judges before him, does not provide statistical data on the number of phone interceptions, with Mr O'Connor maintaining he sees 'little merit' in doing so. The High Court judge said applications from the gardaí were 'low' and were 'down in numbers', adding all were granted by the minister for justice. 'The number of authorisations granted pursuant to section 4 [serious offence investigations] were not significantly higher than those made under section 5 [security of the State],' the judge said. In his previous, 2024 report, he said the number of interceptions 'relative to the State's population size appear low'. He said the existing and anticipated developments on communication known to An Garda Síochána 'should be accommodated' in the new legislation. Mr Justice O'Connor said military intelligence moved to a 'new bespoke secured facility' last March. 'The new facility is a welcome development and affords a modern and professional aspect,' he said. 'The new building is purpose-built to top secret clearances and security specifications.' He said the old Irish Military Intelligence Service building, which they had used since the 1980s, was transferred to new Joint Cyber Defence Command in May. Judge O'Connor pointed out military intelligence uses the acts only in matters relating to the security of the State and the integrity of its institutions. It is for intelligence purposes only. The report said the use of the 1993 and 2011 acts for military intelligence 'was limited' over the last 11 months, but added the 'significance and value of those provisions for the PDF should not be underestimated'. He said he supported the 'urgent call' made by the Commission on the Defence Forces in its February 2022 report for clarification of the role, functions and powers of military intelligence in new legislation. 'There is an imperative to clarify the role, functions and powers of the IMIS in underpinning legislation,' he said. Read More National Development Plan allocates almost €4bn for defence and justice capital spends
Irish Daily Mirror
08-07-2025
- Irish Daily Mirror
Up to 100 staff kept in refinery plant as Gardai quiz man over 'viable bombs'
Gardaí have questioned a man in his forties in connection with the discovery of viable bombs in Limerick and Northern Ireland last Friday. Reliable sources said the man was being questioned by Gardaí as part of an ongoing cross border Garda - PSNI (Police Service of Northern Ireland) investigation. One of the bombs was discovered close to the large alumina refinery Aughinish Alumina, located between Foynes and Askeaton, Co Limerick. The Rusal alumina giant, which owns the plant, had not responded to media queries sent to it last Sunday. It's understood that up to 100 of the 450 staff employed at the Rusal-owned Aughinish refinery were unable to leave the plant as a 350-metre security cordon was put in place allowing Gardaí and members of the Defence Forces respond at the scene for several hours between Friday night and Saturday morning. It's understood that Gardaí are no longer investigating the possibility that the bomb could have been a reaction to Russia's largest bombardment on Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, last Thursday night. A spokesman for the Irish Defence Forces confirmed the bomb was 'viable', meaning it was capable of detonating and causing injuries or death. A statement provided by the Defence Forces read: 'On Friday evening, bomb experts from the Defence Forces Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team responded to a request for assistance from An Garda Síochána (AGS) in relation to a suspect device in the area of Askeaton, Co. Limerick. 'Following an assessment, the EOD team confirmed the device was viable, and it was rendered safe. The EOD Team then handed the scene over to AGS. "The army EOD unit were on scene for a total of six hours, from arrival on scene at 6.58pm, Friday, to departure at 01.04am, Saturday 5 July." Gardaí said they were 'alerted' to the bomb after its discovery at approximately 3.30pm last Friday, 'and a cordon was established' until the scene was declared safe. The area where the bomb was found is located close to a publicly-accessible nature walking trail. In February 2022, Gardaí launched an investigation into criminal damage at the entrance to Aughinish Alumina which was daubed with slogans in red paint, similar in nature to paint attacks at Russian embassies around the world in protest at Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Other bombs were found elsewhere in the north west of Ireland. A Garda statement on Tuesday read: 'As part of the investigation into the discovery of a number of attempted improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in the Northeast and Southwest of the country, a male (40s) was arrested on Sunday, 6th July 2025. 'The male was arrested during an operation on Sunday evening involving National, Regional and local Garda units in County Monaghan.' Gardaí said the suspect was detained under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act, 1939 at a Garda Station in the North Western Region. 'An Garda Síochána continues to liaise with our colleagues in the PSNI in relation to this investigation,' the statement continued. The Irish Mirror's Crime Writers Michael O'Toole and Paul Healy are writing a new weekly newsletter called Crime Ireland. Click here to sign up and get it delivered to your inbox every week
