Defence Forces
Dail Éireann — 2026-02-17
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Helen McEntee (FG), Meath East

The maritime security strategy will ensure that we are taking ownership of what we need to do, but given the vast, expansive maritime domain we are looking at, it is important that we work closely with other colleagues and friends. It is important that we have a more permanent structure in place to be able to co-operate in that way. We are not immune to Russian threats, in the same way no other country is. We have already seen our friends, whether it is Lithuania, Denmark or Poland, have already been victims to Russian attacks in airspace through drones and through more sinister types of threats. We need to work together to be able to respond collectively. We need to identify the fact that there are new types of threats.
When it comes to the shadow fleet, this poses a threat in so many ways. Not only does the shadow fleet fund the brutal and illegal war that Russia is waging on Ukraine, but they are also a massive environmental challenge. If one of these tankers that are not seaworthy should have an accident, the implications more broadly for our seas is absolutely colossal. As I have said this week, we need to look at whatever we can to act as a deterrent and respond to the shadow fleet and many other types of threats. The vast majority of people see that we need to do more and want us to be ambitious in this regard.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-02-17/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:38+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-02-17