French, German Frigates in Op Sophia Rescue

The French frigate FS COURBET and the German FGS SCHLESWIG HOLSTEIN have been taking part in a complex rescue of migrants in the Mediterranean Sea from October 7.

The German frigate FGS SCHLESWIG HOLSTEIN, together with the Italian Ship ITS AVIERE belonging to the “Mare Sicuro” mission, was firstly requested to intervene in favour of three rubber boats in distress while the French frigate FS COURBET carried out the rescue in support of another dinghy.

As a final result 372 migrants went onboard the Holstein (243 rescued directly and 129 transferred from ITS AVIERE) and 80 onboard the FS COURBET. The migrants were then transferred to the port of Taranto as requested by the Italian Authorities.

The EU naval operation against human smugglers and traffickers in the Mediterranean called EUNAVFOR MED/Operation Sophia, was launched on the 22 of June, 2015, with the main focus on contributing to disrupt the business model of the smugglers and therefore prevent more loss of lives. The mission has just entered its second phase.

Image: EEAS