Beyond the waves: A look inside the Revenue vessels tackling smugglers along Ireland's 3,173km coastline

HIGHLY-SKILLED SEVEN person crews working on board small Revenue Customs Service vessels have played major roles in some of Europe’s biggest drug seizures.

Customs Cutters are small, high-powered vessels operated by Revenue in its role monitoring smuggling around the island. 

Today, as part of the first campaign of direct recruitment of people into the Revenue Maritime Unit, Andrew Ryan who manages the teams, spoke about the capabilities and the direct impact work of the secretive team on board. 

The agency currently operates two vessels – the Revenue Customs Cutter (RCC) Suirbhéir and the RCC Faire.  They are due to take delivery of a new vessel which will replace the Suirbhéir. 

The seven person crews live on board the vessel during their eight day patrols. 

On a tour of a vessel today we were shown the accommodation of classic so-called coffin bunks in the bow of the craft, a kitchen and crew rest area.

Each of the crew take turns maintaining the powerful engine which allows it to travel in excess of 20 knots or 37 kilometres per hour.

On completion of a patrol they are then given six days off before they head back to sea.

While on duty they carry out everything from boarding vessels to so-called “deep rummage” searches and intelligence gathering operations. They could also be deployed on board naval vessels and Air Corps aircraft.

Andrew Ryan, Operations Manager for Revenue’s Maritime Unit with the RCC Suirbhéir. Niall O'Connor / The Journal. Niall O'Connor / The Journal. / The Journal.

Intelligence gathering 

Ryan said the vessels do not operate in isolation. Connections with An Garda Síochána and the Defence Forces all feeding in information to help them in their operations. 

He also said a key factor is the connections they have with port authorities and harbour masters who feed direct information into the intelligence gathering systems.

Another source of detailed information is the work of the anti-smuggling agency MAOC-N in Lisbon, Portugal which provides detailed information to member states. On a visit to the intelligence and analysis facility last year The Journal met a Revenue Customs official based there.  

Ryan said all that input adds up and then the Customs Cutters can deploy and begin work. When needed, and if there’s a risk of armed suspects, the Defence Forces or armed Garda elements like the Emergency Response Unit can be deployed to deal with the risk. 

The most infamous of those incidents was the taking of the MV Matthew off the south coast when Army Ranger Wing operators and a navy ship were deployed to take control of the fleeing ship – eventually finding €157m worth of cocaine concealed in a lifeboat on the vessel. 

“A lot of that work is invisible. It’s carried out in the shadows so that we can have the most effective response against the organised crime groups when they do move,” Ryan said. 

Onboard the vessel is a computer station which has two screens showing two different pictures of global tracking of various ships. 

This is monitored by the crew and it was revealed that intelligence generated on board that station was instrumental in the seizure of some €21m worth of cocaine on the MV Verila in Limerick.

“Revenue Customs Cutters control hundreds of vessels every year, ranging from pleasure craft to fishing vessels to merchant vessels,” Ryan said. 

All the crew receive training and certification in high speed rigid inflatable boat operations as well as engineering and intelligence gathering. 

Ryan said that members of the Defence Forces and An Garda Síochána have transitioned over, there are also civil servants who worked in office jobs including Revenue officers who were accountants and office workers across the civil service.

This is the first time that members of the public will be allowed to apply for the job direct to Revenue.

Ryan said the key characteristics in candidates they are looking for is fit, ambitious people who will get on with their shipmates and work in a dynamic job. 

“The opportunities of a maritime law enforcement role, certainly at sea, working for Revenue in a Customs capacity, is exciting. Like, we will challenge people to be their best.

For a number of years The Journal has been reporting on a profound problem with keeping staff in the military and gardaí – Ryan said not so in Revenue Customs.  

The turnover of staff, he said, is most caused by people leaving on internal promotion – he would not confirm exact numbers of recruitment but said there will be a number of spaces.

The recruitment campaign for new maritime specialists last until 15 November.