Irish Naval personnel who have rescued over 3,400 migrants in the Mediterranean are not getting proper pay allowances.

The number of lives saved by the Naval Service flagship LÉ Eithne passed the 2,000 mark after she picked up her largest number of migrants in any one day of operations off the coast of Libya.

A navy officer has described the distressing scenes he and his crewmates witnessed when they came across leaking vessels crammed with scared migrants who had no lifejackets, little fuel, and no provisions.