The Labour Party has accused the Minister for the Marine, Mr Dermot Ahern, of allowing the Tricolour to become a "flag of convenience" for "elderly" foreign vessels, reports Lorna Siggins, Marine Correspondent
The party's marine spokesman, Mr Tommy Broughan, said "superannuated bangers" were being placed on the Irish register of shipping.
"The owner companies of these ships and their managers are based abroad, and Ireland is therefore taking on a classic 'flag of convenience' role," said Mr Broughan.
He claimed this would make Ireland similar to Panama, the Bermudas and other states which are associated with lax ship inspection regimes.
He said the foreign operators wished to avail of the tonnage tax introduced by the Minister for Finance, Mr McCreevy.
The Irish Maritime Development Office (IMDO) said it was aware of the registrations, but said this was legal under EU legislation.
It said none of the vessels had availed of the tonnage tax, and this would in any case require ensuring that strategic and commercial management of such vessels was based in Ireland.
Mr Broughan said: "The Irish shipping flag has always been regarded as a small, quality operator with around 32 ships owned by Irish-based companies like Irish Ferries, Nolans and the Arklow company.
"Now there are foreign operators registering vessels here who do not even have a brass nameplate in Cork or any other Irish port, and the registrations of the past month seem like a sudden descent by Ireland into flag of convenience status."
He said the Irish Master Mariners and marine insurers had expressed concerns to him about the vessels in relation to the state of the ships and the pay and conditions of the crews on board.
"Given Minister Dermot Ahern's recent gyrations with regard to ancient US ships being towed through Irish waters en route to Hartlepool for scrapping, it is amazing incompetence by the same Minister to permit nearly equally ancient vessels to be registered here."