In its first mission, Irish Navy’s LÉ Samuel Beckett was tasked by the Italian Marine Rescue Co-Ordination Centre (IMRCC) to investigate a wooden craft sighted by an Italian naval helicopter 80 kilometers north west of Tripoli Oct. 5.
Another Irish ship, LÉ Niamh, located the vessel and commenced a rescue operation shortly thereafter, taking approximately 242 persons on board.
All people embarked have received food, water and medical attention where required. The LÉ Samuel Beckett is working alongside the Royal Navy multi-role survey vessel HMS Enterprise.
Since commencing operations in the Mediterranean with Operation Pontus, the LÉ Eithne and LÉ Niamh rescued 7397 people.
The LÉ Samuel Beckett deployed to Operation Pontus on Friday, September 25. This is the third Irish Naval Service vessel to deploy to the area of operations. It has a crew of 59 personnel, including an Army and Air Corps medic and is commanded by Lieutenant Commander Anthony Geraghty.
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Image: Irish Defence Forces