Royal Navy survey ship to assess damage to Beirut’s port following deadly blast

August 7, 2020, by Jasmina Ovcina Mandra

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.

HMS Enterprise Manoverboard exercise Today sailors on board HMS Enterprise conducted a MOBEX (Manoverboard exercise) as part of crucial training while at sea. The seaboat and swimmer of the watch had to battle choppy conditions in order to carry out the exercise successfully. HMS Enterprise Manoverboard exercise Today sailors on board HMS Enterprise conducted a MOBEX (Manoverboard exercise) as part of crucial training while at sea. The seaboat and swimmer of the watch had to battle choppy conditions in order to carry out the exercise successfully.

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.