Posted online: Aug 19th, 2010

The Naval Service is set to introduce a new tracking system that will help to prevent drug smuggling and other illegal activities off the coast of Donegal.
The sophisticated new Recognised Maritime Picture (RMP) can streamline information from a variety of sources to give the Naval Service the real time location, speed and direction of suspect vessels.
The extent of drug smuggling off the Donegal coast is almost impossible to quantify. The US Drug Enforcement Administration has previously described the so-called “Irish Box” (the coastal area off our coast) as “nearly impossible to patrol” and identified it as an ideal launch pad for drug smugglers.
A spokesperson for the Navy told the Post that the new system will give them a clearer picture of the activity in our sovereign waters. With over 15% of EU territorial waters in the Irish zone, it is vital to prevent our coastline from being used as a means of smuggling contraband into Europe.
“We really need to know what’s going on in our territory,” the Naval Service spokesperson told the Post.
“We need to know what a vessel is and where it’s going. They are not all necessarily traveling to Ireland.”
Ireland’s large coastline and high sea-to-land ration makes it an attractive target for drug smugglers.
The new system will allow patrols to quickly intercept any ship that is suspected of illegal activity and to quickly distinguish them from friendly contacts. There are three naval vessels patrolling our waters at any given time, with a maximum of eight vessels operating in Irish waters.
“We keep ships at sea all the time. It allows us to focus our attention quickly when something is of interest to us.”
“It’s not a luxury, it’s a necessity.”
Ireland is an active member of the Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre, based in Lisbon, an international task force to collect and analyse information on drug trafficking, enhance intelligence exchange and identify the availability of naval and other assets to facilitate national drug interdiction operations.