The lives of Naval Service officers are being put at risk due to faulty equipment on fishing vessels, according to the headquarters at Haulbowline.
A boarding officer from the LE Aoife avoided serious injury this week when a ladder collapsed. The officer sustained minor bruising.
The ladder, owned by the Irish-registered Spanish vessel, La Marea, was confiscated. The matter may be referred to the Health and Safety Authority, according to a Naval Service spokesman, Lieut Cdr Hugh Tully.
Lieut Cdr Tully said eight warnings about the use of defective ladders had been issued over the past three months to vessels of various nationality, including Irish-registered craft.