The Irish Examiner reports the Naval Service, which has already tied up the LE Eithne and LE Orla at it's base on Haulbowline, could be forced to tie up two more ships.
Numbers in the Naval Service have continued to dwindle, with the service now short one fifth of the required personnel.
Defence Minister Simon Coveney made a commitment to address the recruitment and retention crisis in the service at the end of June, however the Department of Defence and Public Expenditure are expected to take several more weeks to finalise a plan.
Tying up two ships could leave just 5 out of 9 Naval ships in operation.
