Royal Navy survey ship HMS Enterprise will sail to Lebanon to assess the damage of Beirut’s port following Tuesday’s explosion and help return it to normal operations.
The deployment of Enterprise will complement an immediate package of military and civilian support and £5m worth of aid, made available by UK’s Defence Secretary Ben Wallace.
“At the request of the Lebanese Government I have authorised the sending of HMS Enterprise to help survey the Port of Beirut, assessing the damage and supporting Lebanon rebuild this vital piece of national infrastructure,” Wallace said.
“We have a close and enduring friendship with the Lebanese people, our military is ready to support them in their time of need.”
HMS Enterprise is currently docked in Limassol and will make her way to Lebanon in due course. The UK is working with the Lebanese authorities to determine the optimum time for the ship’s deployment.
The UK Armed Forces is also deploying a small team to the UK Embassy in Beirut to help identify requirements and coordinate the package of wider support to the Lebanese Armed Forces.
This includes the offer of tailored medical support, military air transport assistance and engineering and communications capabilities.