Royal Navy submarines protect entire island of Ireland: Steve Aiken

The Ulster Unionist MLA and former Royal Navy submarine commander said a reported close encounter between a submarine and a passenger ferry would be properly investigated – but said it was important to remember that the Republic’s frontiers are “entirely unprotected” by the Irish Defence Forces.

“While the Irish Defence Forces do a good job, they have no capability for even long-range air surveillance, they’ve got no capability for defence of their airspace, they’ve got no capability for defence of their extended sea area. They have to rely on the support of Nato to cover those areas,” he said.

“We are not in competition, we are friends, and it’s good to be able to utilise whatever resources you have, and there’s no doubt the Royal Air Force will provide support for the Republic of Ireland on many occasions and that’s the way things are.

“It’s just unfortunate that the likes of Sinn Fein tries to make some cheap propaganda out of this, while significantly missing the wider point – that Ireland is relatively undefended and that it needs to join Nato.”

A spokesman for the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) said: “In November, we were notified of a close-quarters incident between the ro-ro (roll-on/roll-off) ferry Stena Superfast VII and a submarine operating at periscope depth.

“We have carried out a preliminary assessment of the evidence in this case and the Chief Inspector of Marine Accidents has decided to open a safety investigation.”

The incident prompted Sinn Fein’s Chris Hazzard to call for the Irish Sea to become a “submarine free zone”.

The MP said: “Sinn Fein want to see an end to British military activity in Ireland in all its forms.

“The confirmation by the British Ministry of Defence that a Royal Navy submarine was involved in a near-miss with a ferry in the Irish Sea has raised serious questions.

“The lives of those on board the ferry were put at risk.”

Mr Aiken said everyone should leave the MAIB to get on with its investigation.

“The reality is that unless you’ve got all of the facts in front of you then you can’t really make any assumptions about any of the things that have happened,” he said.

“Fortunately it’s very rare, but unfortunately there are occasions when these things happen at sea. You get regular close quarters incidents between everything from yachts to fishing vessels and all sorts of vessels,” Mr Aiken added.

A Royal Navy spokesman said: “We can confirm the sighting of a Royal Navy submarine between Belfast and Stranraer on November 6 2018. We are co-operating with the MAIB’s investigation.”

A spokesman for Stena said: “At no stage were the vessel, passengers or crew in any danger. The incident is now under investigation by the MAIB and we will of course co-operate fully in this.”