Ongoing maintenance of the MV Matthew, the vessel seized as part of the largest ever cocaine smuggling operation in Ireland, is costing the State €110,000 per week and has been labelled a “considerable” environmental and ecological risk by the Revenue Commissioners.
Chairman Niall Cody has told the Dáil Public Accounts Committee (PAC) that costs incurred in relation to berthing and maintaining the vessel since it was detained two years ago were now close to €10 million.
In a letter dated September 25th, he said this included a cost of €3.762 million for the provision of a full-time crew at its berth in Cork.
Committee members considered the letter’s contents at a meeting on Thursday.
READ MORE
The 189-metre bulk cargo vessel of 28,647 gross tonnage was detained by Revenue on September 26th, 2023, under customs legislation. Following a search of the vessel, 2,253kg of cocaine were found concealed on-board. Eight people were later convicted and sentenced to a total of 129 years’ imprisonment in July.
Mr Cody said that detaining a vessel the size of the MV Matthew was “without precedent in this jurisdiction”. He said initially steps were taken by Revenue to sell the ship, but in December 2023 the Director of Public Prosecutions said it was “required for evidential purposes in the associated criminal trial of eight defendants pending before the Special Criminal Court”.
“Given its size, the MV Matthew represents a significant environmental and ecological risk, as well as an economic risk to the operations of the Port of Cork, requiring it to be crewed and maintained on a continuous basis,” he said.
“All necessary actions for the safe and secure management of the vessel since its detention have been undertaken by Revenue. This has necessarily incurred, and continues to incur, significant costs relating to insuring and crewing of the vessel, provisioning, bunkering fuel, supplies, berthage and other port-related costs, essential repairs and maintenance.”
He said that between September 2023 and August 2025 a total of €9.7 million had been spent on managing the vessel in the Port of Cork. This included €2.1 million in berthing charges, €3.7 million on maintenance and €3.7 million on crewing.
[ How the Defence Forces carried out its most daring operation in decadesOpens in new window ]
“Based on all payments made and charges pending or accrued, Revenue estimates that the average weekly cost to date of managing and maintaining the vessel to be in the order of €110,000 per week.”
Revenue’s approach, he said, had been only to fund necessary outlays such as essential repairs and maintenance.
The Special Criminal Court authorised the release of the vessel, facilitating its disposal, in December 2024.
“However, there are a significant number of regulatory obligations which must be fulfilled in order to finalise the disposal of the MV Matthew and to facilitate the removal of the vessel from the Port of Cork,” Mr Cody told the PAC.
“Significant challenges and delays arose in this regard due to the manner in which regulatory processes were conducted by the previous owner and the fact that the vessel was used as a conveyance for international drug smuggling.”
Mr Cody said at present a sale had not been finalised and certain maritime regulatory matters remained to be addressed. He said it was not possible to provide a firm timeline for completion of the vessel’s disposal.
