Naval Service Operations

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 14 June 2018

Thursday, 14 June 2018

Ceisteanna (50)

Seamus Healy

Ceist:

50. Deputy Seamus Healy asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the number of occasions on which a Naval Service vessel participating in Operation Sophia in the Mediterranean Sea docked at an Italian port since 25 July 2017; the number of occasions on which migrants and refugees have been put ashore at an Italian port directly by an Irish vessel participating in Operation Sophia since the same date; the number of migrants and refugees that were put ashore directly from an Irish vessel participating in Operation Sophia on each occasion since the same date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26007/18]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister of State at the Department of Defence

In July 2017, Government and Dáil approval was secured for the deployment of an Irish Naval Service vessel as part of Operation Sophia. Irish naval vessel L.É. Niamh subsequently deployed on 6 October 2017 to join Operation Sophia and returned on 20 December 2017. The participation by L.É. Niamh in Operation Sophia represented the first involvement by the Naval Service in a multilateral security operation under a UN mandate. In the course of an 11 week deployment in the Mediterranean, L.É. Niamh rescued 613 migrants, assisting with a further 107 migrant rescues.

In February 2018, the Government approved the consecutive deployment of 2 naval vessels for a period of approximately 30 weeks running from mid-April to end-November. L.É. Samuel Beckett is currently deployed in this operation and will be replaced in mid-July by L.É. James Joyce.

Irish Naval Service vessels participating in Operation Sophia have to date docked a total of eight times in Italian ports. On seven occasions the ships docked for the purpose of refuelling and replenishing and on one occasion, in 2017, L.E. Niamh docked for the purpose of disembarking 294 migrants ashore. In the case of other migrants rescued as part of L.É. Niamh's 2017 deployment, these were transferred for disembarkation on to Italian Coastguard vessels or to another Operation Sophia vessel for disembarkation at an Italian port. In addition to search and rescue operations, Irish naval vessels may be assigned activities in support of the core tasks of the Operation Sophia mission including, gathering information on oil smuggling, patrols focusing on countering illegal arms trafficking, operations to intercept smugglers and people traffickers and monitoring the effectiveness of the Libyan Navy and Coastguard activity from a stand-off distance.

Operation Sophia has so far contributed to the apprehension of 139 suspected smugglers and traffickers, removed approximately 545 boats from criminal organisations availability, contributed to 307 Safety of Life at Sea events and rescued over 44,250 migrants.