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A Portuguese-registered fishing vessel was detained in Irish waters by the Navy Service on Thursday.
The Lé Samuel Beckett, a Naval Service patrol vessel, detained the Portuguese boat approximately 200 nautical miles south of Fastnet Rock, after an alleged breach of fishing regulations.
In a statement, the service said the Portuguese vessel was being escorted to Castletownbere, County Cork, where it will be handed over to An Garda Síochána. The detention is now a garda matter and the nature of the infringement has not been disclosed.
It is the second detainment by the service this week and the eighth of 2019. On Tuesday, Lé George Bernard Shaw detained an Irish fishing vessel off Howth.
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Sea fishery inspections and detentions form part of the Naval Service’s delivery of government services and its work with the Sea Fishery Protection Authority.
The patrol boats also participate in international missions. Last year, Lé Samuel Beckett was deployed in Mediterranean waters. It was one of several Irish patrol ships to support Operation Sofia, the European mission to help migrants crossing from Africa to the EU.