Naval Service returning to the Mediterranean as LÉ Róisín prepares to set sail
Last year, Irish patrol boats rescued more than 8,000 migrants.
A Naval Service spokesman said that plans had been drawn up some months ago to dispatch the vessel.
Earlier this week at a meeting in Brussels, Taoiseach Enda Kenny told other EU leaders Ireland would resume humanitarian aid operations through the naval service supporting Italian navy rescue ships.
The 258 ft-long ship will be captained by Lieutenant Commander Ultan Finegan and carry a crew of 57, including several specialist units.
The normal complement for the ship for routine off-shore patrols is 44 but additional personnel, such as diving teams and medics, will be dispatched on the proposed mission.
“The crew are all volunteers and we intend that their mission will last for about 12 weeks. We have put a limit on it so their families can expect them away from home for that period of time,” a Naval Service spokesman said.
It is possible, although unlikely, the 12-week period will be extended.
The spokesman said plans are being advanced to send a replacement ship to take over from LÉ Róisín after its spell on the mission, although a ship and crew had yet to be chosen.
It is possible three ships will be deployed in rotation during the summer, the busiest period for migrants to attempt the crossing. People smugglers continue almost year-round to launch their flimsy craft from the Libyan shore en route to Italy, Sicily, and Malta.
The Naval Service said, so far, there was no exact departure date penciled in for LÉ Róisín to leave her base at Haulbowline.
It is awaiting an order from the government, but expects the ship to depart by the end of this month.
Last year, the navy deployed its flagship LÉ Eithne along with LÉ Niamh and LÉ Samuel Beckett on the mission which unfortunately also involved recovering bodies of those who had drowned or suffocated in grossly overcrowded boats.
“A few of those who travelled out to the Mediterranean last year will be among the crew of LÉ Róisín,” a spokesman said.
Meanwhile, PDFORRA (Permanent Defence Forces Other Ranks’ Representative Association), which represents enlisted men in the Naval Service, welcomed news of the latest deployment.
A PDFORRA spokesman said its members were glad to do their bit to help the migrants.
But he added it was “disappointing” a resolution of a pay claim for such overseas duties still had not been reached.
The association claims navy crews should have received an €80 per day allowance for the Mediterranean mission because the ship and personnel were armed, and not the €55 per day unarmed mission allowance they received from the Department of Defence.
At PDFORRA’s annual conference last October, Minister for Defence Simon Coveney agreed to put the dispute to arbitration and said if a decision fell in favour of a higher allowance he would be perfectly happy to pay extra money retrospectively.
“It is disappointing that this hasn’t been resolved because an adjudicator has still to be appointed for the arbitration.
“It is regrettable that our members are still waiting, especially as we raised this issue when the first ship left for the humanitarian mission on May 16 last year,” a PDFORRA spokesman said.
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