The MV Matthew freighter which was at the centre of a dramatic drug interdiction off the south coast has set sail for Bulgaria having cost the State over €16 million since it was detained in 2023.
The freighter finally left its berth at Marino Point in Cork Harbour this afternoon. Initially it was scheduled to depart yesterday.
However, the Port of Cork company said that its departure was delayed by 24 hours due to a minor technical issue on one of the towing vessels.
Mariners had been advised to give the tow a wide margin.
They were also asked to remain outside of the navigation channel for the duration of the manoeuvre.
2.2 tonnes of cocaine, with a street value of €157m, was seized aboard the 28,000-tonne Panama registered bulk carrier off east Cork in the early hours of 26 September 2023.
The inter-agency operation was conducted using Naval and Air Corps assets and interagency personnel, including the Army Ranger Wing.
The MV Matthew has cost the State €16m through maintenance, berthing, crewing and security
After Ranger Wing personnel secured the vessel, members of the Irish Navy, the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau, and Revenue’s Customs Service were transferred to the cargo vessel.
The vessel was detained under the provisions of the Customs Act, 2015.
Last summer eight men were jailed for a total of 129 years in connection with the record seizure.
Gardaí liaised with their counterparts in the United Arab Emirates, United States, China, the UK, Spain and the Caribbean over the bulk carrier and its movements in the weeks before its seizure off the Irish coast.
The State has paid for the ongoing costs associated with the freighter.
This involved maintenance of its engine, electrical and ventilation systems, berthing and crewing and security.
The proceeds of the sale will go to the State. However, it is likely it will only represent a small portion of what has been spent on MV Matthew.
The freighter was previously known as the ‘MV Honmon’ and had spent most of its career operating in waters off China.
Following its sale over four years ago, it transferred via Africa to waters between South America and the Caribbean.
It was renamed as MV Matthew.
Works had been ongoing over recent weeks to prepare the freighter for its departure.
It’s understood it will be refit as a bulk grain carrier on the Black Sea.