Third Irish vessel departs to join Mediterranean humanitarian operation

The third Irish naval vessel, LE Samuel Beckett, on Thursday departed its base in the south coastal city of Cork for the Mediterranean, the military said.

The Irish vessel will assist the Italian authorities in the humanitarian operation to rescue migrants from the waters between Libya and Sicily of Italy, the military added.

LE Samuel Beckett, with a crew of 59 personnel, including four medics, will continue the work started by LE Eithne and continued by LE Niamh, according to Irish Defense Minister Simon Coveney.

The vessel, named after renowned Irish playwright and author Samuel Beckett, was launched in November 2013 and commissioned in May 2014.

Beckett, born in 1906 in Dublin, was widely regarded as among the most influential writers of the 20th century. He was awarded the 1969 Nobel prize in literature.

LE Samuel Beckett will replace LE Niamh at the end of September and will be deployed in the Mediterranean until November, Coveney said.

The Irish defense minister said LE Niamh has spent the past ten weeks in the Mediterranean and is scheduled to return to Ireland early next month.

A total of 4,020 people have been rescued by LE Niamh during its deployment to the Mediterranean.

"The success of the operations carried out to date by LE Eithne and LE Niamh involving the recovery of 7,397 migrants demonstrates clearly the value of Ireland's participation in this important humanitarian response," he said. Endit