The Irish Naval Service flagship the LÉ EITHNE conducted a successful rescue operation of 300 migrants, 45 kilometres North of Tripoli in the early hours of Friday the 29th of May.
The migrants were on board a barge that was attempting to cross the South Central Mediterranean.
Having successfully transferred 201 rescuees over to the HMS BULWARK at 9 pm on May 28, for transport to the nearest safe Italian port, the LÉ EITHNE immediately received another tasking from the Italian Marine Rescue Co-ordination Centre. At 12.10 am (Irish time) the LÉ EITHNE encountered a barge 45 kilometres North of Libya.
They began extraction procedures and by 4am all 300 migrants from the barge were successfully taken on board the LÉ EITHNE. The sea conditions during the rescue were calm.
Later that day the vessel came across an additional rubber dingy carrying approximately 100 migrants on board. The migrants were successfully transferred aboard LÉ EITHNE.
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Image: Irish Defence Forces