Crew to arrive in Haulbowline for LÉ Aoife training

A Maltese naval crew will arrive in Haulbowline in the next few weeks to be trained to operate the LÉ Aoife, which was gifted to Malta amid some controversy.

Defence Minister Simon Coveney said the Maltese government still wanted the 36-year-old vessel, despite some comments by retired navy personnel on that Mediterranean island she was too old and not fit for the purpose she was intended for — to rescue migrants fleeing north Africa.

Mr Coveney said that he expected the Maltese crew to be trained up over a three to four-week period and ready to return with the ship by mid-May.