The future of the Irish Naval Services' former flagship, LÉ Eithne, remains uncertain.
Both Cork County Council and Dublin Port have withdrawn their interest in the vessel as a possible visitor attraction, according to the Department of Defence.
However, Cork City Council and Limerick City and County Council have since expressed an interest in taking LÉ Eithne as a marine attraction.
A spokesperson confirmed that officials have met with both councilsabout their proposed plans for the vessel which is held in great affection given its historical maritime significance.
LÉ Eithne was the last naval Service ship built in Ireland by the Verolme Cork Dockyard in Cobh in 1984, and the first Irish naval vessel to cross the Atlantic in 1986.
It was also the first Irish naval ships to travel to the Southern Hemisphere, when it visited South America in 2006.
Completely refurbished in 2017, LÉ Eithne had been laid up since mid-2019, but was briefly brought back into service in 2020 to provide support to the HSE's Covid-19 operations.
The flagship and two coastal patrol vessels, LÉ Orla & LÉ Ciara were decommissioned in July 2022 with plans to scrap the smaller vessels rather than auctioned them off.
The two inshore patrol vessels were purchased from the government of New Zealand at a cost of €26 million.
The Department of Defence confirmed to RTÉ News that both vessels will become operational early next year after they have been named and commissioned into the service and crews have been trained up.
A public tender competition is now under way to select an EU approved facility to re-cycle the LÉ Ciara & LÉ Orla.
This option is considered to be the most efficient and effective manner of disposing of the ships and removing them from the base at Haulbowline.
