Short on Skilled Sailors, Irish Navy Hires Recruiter for Global Search

The U.S. Navy may have its fair share of recruiting problems, but these pale in comparison to the challenges facing the Irish Naval Service. Ireland's navy has a chronic shortage of skilled personnel, particularly in engineering and technical specialties, and the staffing shortfall has become so serious that it sometimes cannot send ships to sea. According to the Irish Examiner, the service has decided to take the same route as other maritime employers who find themselves in this situation - hiring a manning agency.

The service has selected Galway-based Flagship Maritime Consultants Ltd. to head up a global recruitment campaign, according to the paper. The goal is to hire in more marine engineers, radio officers, electricians and other experienced personnel. If successful, this could help stem the tide of defections to higher-paying employers, like the UK Royal Navy, the civilian maritime sector and the shoreside labor market, which is red-hot in Ireland.

Without more personnel, Ireland will have more days without a naval presence at sea - on top of the 39 patrol-free days it has had so far this year.

These shortcomings are most noticeable during periods of heightened Russian patrol activity. Russian activity in waters around the UK has increased dramatically in the past three years, and officials are particularly concerned about the potential threat to subsea infrastructure. Earlier this year, a Russian Navy task force loitered off southwestern Ireland in an area known for a concentration of subsea telecom cable infrastructure, and the Irish Naval Service had limited capability to monitor and respond.