The LÉ Róisín has completed a 12-week humanitarian mission in the Mediterranean Sea during which she rescued 1,263 migrants and recovered the bodies of four people.

Naval vessel the LÉ Róisín rescued 371 migrants in three separate search and rescue operations in the Mediterranean yesterday.

People-smugglers are brutalising migrants to such an extent the Naval Service is concerned it will find more of them dead in boats during the coming months.

Italian authorities are expected to carry out a postmortem on the body of a man found on an inflatable boat carrying hundreds of migrants who were picked up by the Naval Service.

The Naval Service is edging close to rescuing 9,000 migrants after the latest mission by the crew of LÉ Róisín resulted in a further 395 people being picked up in the Mediterranean Sea, including 15 children.

The Naval Service is gearing up to save even more migrants from drowning in the Mediterranean Sea this year as refugees pour into Libya from Middle East war zones following Turkey’s promise to cut people-smuggling operations across the Aegean into Greece.

Acting Minister for Defence Simon Coveney is to seek Cabinet approval today to resume the Naval Service’s humanitarian mission in the Mediterranean Sea and says he hopes to increase its strength to a nine-ship fleet in the next three to four years.

The Naval Service has confirmed it will send the LÉ Róisín to the Mediterranean Sea at the end of this month to resume humanitarian missions.

History will be made this morning when the Naval Service will for the first time aid in an overseas humanitarian mission.

The Naval Service is seeking more time from the Heath & Safety Authority (HSA) to remove asbestos from two ships which have been out of commission since last May.

The Irish Naval Service has seized cocaine with a street value of up to €100m on a yacht off the Irish coast after a major intelligence-led operation.

The man who broke a code which helped jail the British gangster who organised €500m drug shipment says this county “will be in grave danger of further large importation attempts” if there are any cuts to the Naval Service.