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Locals in Cobh watch on at Whitepoint as the MV Matthew is towed for scrappage Niall O'Connor/The Journal
bon voyage
Revenue sells drug-smuggling ship MV Matthew for $1 after upkeep costs of almost €17m
The cargo vessel at the centre of Ireland’s largest-ever cocaine seizure has been berthed in Cork Harbour since September 2023.
LAST UPDATE | 18 Jul
THE MV MATTHEW, the cargo ship at the centre of Ireland’s biggest-ever cocaine seizure, finally left Cork Harbour on Friday.
The bulk carrier was sold to a Dutch scrappage company after almost three years of being tied up at the port.
Revenue confirmed that the ship’s upkeep cost in the region of €17 million since its seizure.
It has been sold for a “nominal consideration” of $1, with an agreement for it to be towed to Varna in Bulgaria under a single voyage exemption by way of a dead ship tow.
The ship had been due to be moved at 6pm on Thursday, but the move was delayed by 24 hours due to a technical issue.
The vessel began its final journey to the Netherlands shortly after 8pm on Friday evening. A number of sightseers gathered at the harbour to see the ship off.
Its departure finally draws a line under the saga.
The MV Matthew was seized in a dramatic military and law enforcement operation off the coast of Co Waterford in September 2023 after authorities intercepted a shipment of 2.2 tonnes of cocaine worth an estimated €157 million.
The operation involved the Army Ranger Wing fast-roping onto the vessel from a helicopter after warning shots were fired by the Naval Service, while gardaí arrested suspects who had attempted to bring the drugs ashore aboard a trawler.
Since then, the ship has remained berthed in Cork Harbour under the control of Revenue Customs while legal proceedings concluded and officials sought a buyer.
The vessel’s prolonged stay proved costly for the State, with millions of euros spent maintaining the ship, employing an agency crew and moving it around the harbour when required to free up berths.
Last year, The Journal revealed that Revenue had identified a preferred bidder for the vessel but was awaiting approval from Panamanian authorities to allow it to return to sea.
The ship sailed under a Panamanian flag of convenience despite investigators believing its true ownership lay with organised crime figures linked to the Middle East.
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