The RCC Cosaint will provide a significant boost to Revenue’s ability to combat smuggling off the Irish coast, writes Kieran O’Mahony

LIKE any vessel being launched, this one was no different. The ceremonial bottle of champagne was smashed off the side of the RCC Cosaint, by its ‘godmother’, Commissioner Ruth Kennedy in the calm surroundings of Kinsale Harbour last Thursday.

It’s reassuring to know that historic maritime traditions still prevailed at the formal naming and commission ceremony held in the Trident Hotel, and later on board the state-of-the-art vessel docked in the harbour.

Other ceremonial aspects included the transfer of ownership from the shipbuilding company, Armon Group to the chairman of Revenue as well as the blessing of the vessel by Fr Ted Sheehan and the unveiling of a name plaque, as well as the aforementioned ‘Godmother’ of the vessel.

The Southern Star got a sneak-peak onboard the Cosaint amidst all this ceremony, and it certainly boasts the most hi-tech map and operating systems, and  has a pretty slick interior with a new, modern feel.

Darren O’Driscoll, one of four newly-appointed commanders, has been with the Revenue’s Maritime Unit for the past six years.

‘My daily role will be managing the operation of the cutter as well as all the staff members onboard, and doing controls as well as everything else,’ said Darren.

‘Prior to working on the Cosaint I worked on the other two cutters.

‘Since this was delivered in August, we have been familiarising ourselves with it and undergoing sea trials too.’

He said they intend to be operational within the next few weeks and they will be in and out of different ports around the country, while a number of active patrol exercises have already been conducted.

‘She is a much bigger and larger vessel so our sea-going capabilities are much better, and it has a bigger spec than our previous cutter.’

Commissioner Maura Kiely, from Béal na Bláth, officially appointed Darren and his colleagues as part of the commissioning ceremony.

Having worked as a solicitor in Dublin for many years, Maura joined Revenue in 2017 and worked as their legal advisor up until earlier this year when she was appointed to the board.

‘I have responsibilities for five divisions, one of which is the Investigation and Prosecution Division, who would be in charge of the Maritime Unit which the RCC Cosaint would fall under,’ said Maura.

The €8.75m Cosaint (Irish for ‘Protection’), has been funded by the Exchequer and supported by funding through the OLAF (European Anti-Fraud Office).

Attendees were told at the ceremony that it was a great moment of ‘pride and anticipation’ for Revenue, and it marked the culmination of several years of planning as well as a rigorous procurement process before they took delivery of the RCC Cosaint in August within budget and ahead of schedule.

Niall Cody of the Revenue Commissioners said that ultimately smuggling is about money, and not about drugs.

‘Since the start of 2023 our custom officers have made more than 35,000 seizures of illegal drugs amounting nearly 110 tonnes with an estimated value of €640m,’ said Niall.

He referenced the role Revenue played in the interception of the MV Matthew off the Cork coast in September 2023, and said it was an excellent example of collaborating with other agencies including An Garda Síochána, The Naval Service and international law enforcement agencies such as OLAF, Europol and Interpol to intercept drug smuggling.

That operation resulted in the seizure of 2,253kgs of cocaine with a value of €157m, while eight suspects were arrested and later sentenced to prison for those offences.

Speaking to The Southern Star afterwards, Tom Talbot assistant secretary IPFMD (Investigation, Proseuction and Frontier Management Divisions) said the RCC Cosaint is part of their commitment to intercept, detect and disrupt the illicit drug trade across the coastline of Ireland.

‘The RCC Cosaint will be used for patrol, intelligence, surveillance and working with our inland teams and confidential tip-offs from the public,’ said Tom.

‘In Revenue we have a long tradition of maritime operations. We started back in the 1990s with rib units but then moved onto sea-going cutters with the Suirbhéir in 2009 and the Faire’.

He said the Cosaint is the ‘next evolution’ of Revenue’s sea operations.

‘This vessel is 35 metres in length, with a 750-nautical- mile range along with a crew of 10.

‘It’s a substantial vessel that will be used to patrol Ireland’s 3,173km of
coastline.’

The vessel is compatible with bio-fuel and bio-fuel blends, and will operate in hybrid mode utilising energy efficient twin-auxillary engines, ensuring that Revenue’s frontier controls are carried out in an energy-efficient and environmentally sustainable manner.

Fair winds and safe seas are wished to all those who sail on RCC Cosaint.