REVENUE CUSTOMS HAVE begun an internal civil service recruitment drive to fill their crews with the impending arrival of two new patrol boats. 

The recruitment campaign, which ends next week, comes as the service is set to purchase two new patrol craft costing €20m to replace its current fleet of the Revenue Commissioner Cutter (RCC) Faire and the RCC Suirbheir.  

It is understood the RCC Faire is generally based in Dun Laoghaire in Dublin and the RCC Suirbheir is normally seen operating near Kinsale, Co Cork. 

It is believed the arrival of two new vessels, which it’s understood will each have a crew of six personnel, will see the new boats positioned in various ports around the country.

In 2015 the Customs Act expanded the seaborne powers of Revenue to conduct sea patrols beyond the 12 nautical mile limit. 

The capabilities of the RCC Faire allow the launching of a boarding Rigid Inflatable Craft (RIB) – which them carries a small crew to board a vessel.

This week Customs were spotted with a French Customs and Coast Guard patrol boat on the south coast and were understood to be conducting a joint exercise with the group. 

It is understood they launched a boarding of a cargo ship and were spotted in West Cork on Friday morning. 

Figures released by Revenue following a Freedom of Information request have revealed the spend on the activities of the vessels. 

The stats reveal the RCC Faire, based in Dun Laoghaire, spent 224 days at sea in 2019, 230 in 2020, 238 in 2021 with 132 days at sea this year up to the last week in July. 

The annual distance covered by the vessel was 6,688 in 2019, 7,325 in 2020, 7,486 in 2021 and 3,747 this year up to the end of July. 

Generally fuel costs for the RCC Faire range from €35,000 to €47,016 for the full year with it set to breach those averages this year as the first seven months of 2022 saw it cost €42,764.55. 

The RCC Suirbheir based in Kinsale saw its sea days at 209 in 2019, 298 in 2020, 354 in 2019 and 172 in the first seven months of this year. 

Annual distance covered has 6,536 in 2019, 5,384 in 2020, 6,043 in 2021 and 4,745 up to the end of July this year. 

The fuel costs for the vessel since 2019 generally follow the same line as that for RCC Faire with a slightly more expensive spend on the East coast. The fuel costs have ranged from just over €38,000 in 2019 and 2021, with €23,000 in 2020 – this year it has cost €48,521.q3 to fuel the vessel. 

Maintenance costs for the Cork based craft appear to be much more than its Dublin counterpart – it cost €265,733 in 2019, €70,399 in 2020 and €119,000 last year with it costing €87,657 this year up to July. 

One key mission for Customs is its part in the the Joint Task Force on Drug Interdiction (JTF) in which it works closely with the Naval Service and An Garda Síochána.

Customs along with An Garda Síochána evaluate intelligence gathered through various routes, including via the Maritime Analysis Operations Centre – Narcotics in Portugal.

Revenue has previously told The Journal that there will be no designated home port for the new vessels and that they will be based at “secure berths in specific locations as required”.

Sources have said that much of the work of the Customs cutters is intelligence led and focused on specific operations – sources have said that most of the drug interdiction work on the seas is carried out by the Naval Service. 

This includes long distance surveillance of suspicious vessels well outside Ireland’s Exclusive Economic Zone.  

A spokesperson for the Customs said: “An interdepartmental competition has been advertised recently by Revenue seeking applications from Clerical Officers interested in an assignment to the Revenue Customs Cutters. 

“The panel established will be used to fill vacancies which arise from time to time.”