Sold to Alang Breakers
News
MATTHEW TT
Sold/Decommissioned
A court has ordered on Dec 3, 2024, that the State can dispose of the'Matthesw' and is no longer obliged to make the ship available for inspections. It was alleged to have been used in one of the largest drugs’ hauls in Irish history and has been costing €100,000 per week to maintain since the ship was seized by the specialist wing of the Irish Defence Forces, the Army Rangers, in Sep 2023. Working with customs agents, they seized 2.2 tonnes of cocaine, worth an estimated €157 million. Eight men are due to go on trial in 2025 at the Special Criminal Court charged in relation to the haul. The berthing of the alleged drug trafficking ship in Cork had cost the state €4.4 million in the space of 11 months, The presence of the bulk carrier has also caused significant operational problems for the Port of Cork Company (POCC). The ship was formally forfeit to the State on November 19, 2023. The State had maintained the ship to allow access for the defence legal teams.
