Naval EU Mission to mediterranean - The great migrant disaster

sparky42

Larbre34 wrote: »

So to resurrect this topic, the NS have been working away in the summer months in the Med on a bi-lateral basis with Italy, rescuing stranded immigrants and bringing them to reception centres.

The media are reporting tonight that Govt want to upgrade involvement in the Med to make the NS a member of EU naval ops under Operation Sophia, which covers interdiction and engagement of traffickers, close to Libya if necessary and destruction of their craft and assets.

So, a new departure for the DF, potential shooting engagements with criminal or rebellious elements on foreign territory, if it passes the triple lock of course. NS vessels involved in humanitarian enforcement

I'm not sure just how much changes, in the clips/video we've seen the ships have been sinking the boats after unloading anyway and have been operating within Libyan waters.

How many actual shooting engagements have happened with Sophia already? Or might this be a response to the Italian complaints regarding the off loading?

Also I'm ok with this, and hope that the current NS operations and the areas where the AC could work as well might be taken on board for the future plans/purchases.

expectationlost

anyone find a copy of this article

During the rescue, an unknown vessel approached the LÉ Niamh at speed and then altered course after a “few tense minutes”, according to Naval Service press officer Lt Cdr Caoimhín MacUnfraidh in an account published subsequently in An Cosantóir, the official magazine of the Defence Forces.

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/naval-service-defends-actions-of-patrol-ship-during-migrant-rescue-1.3084161

Larbre34

Well it has happened, a motion of the Dáil was passed today committing the Naval Service to full participation in Operation Sophia.

The so-called triple lock has been satisfied and tomorrow our most modern vessel, LÉ William Butler Yeats departs the Base to takeover from LÉ Eithne on station in the Med, under a revised mandate as a full component of EUNAVFOR Med, the first multi-national naval operation ever for this Country.

In some ways, this historic step has slipped under the radar. Most importantly it likely increases the risk to our personnel. Direct engagement with traffickers / insurrgents / criminal interests are very possible, even moreso as those elements become more squeezed in their activities and grow desperate. The crew will be tested under action conditions and in littoral waters so all members will need to be at the top of their game in nav, comms, boat ops, fleet ops, fire control and systems management for the first time ever in a dangerous theatre. Not that i dont think they will perform in an exemplary fashion.

This step lets the genie out of the bottle for quite a few potential operations, including anti-piracy ops by the EU in waters far from home. The DF have craved this kind of experience and capacity building, so hopefully they will get the support and investment to back it up.

I think the word neutrality should be retired for once and all, Ireland is non-aligned and has now aligned itself on a case by case basis, no blue helmets, working with powerful and experienced navies at the same risk.

Beir Bua lads and ladies.

mikeym

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/eu-refugee-rescue-mission-mediterranean-people-smuggling-north-africa-report-migrant-crisis-european-a7835631.html

EU refugee anti-smuggling mission is driving deaths in the Mediterranean, finds report.

A major naval mission spearheaded by the EU has failed to tackle people smuggling in the Mediterranean and may even be leading to higher death tolls, a new report has found.

Operation Sophia, launched in 2015, has had little effect in deterring migration and its mandate should not be renewed, according to findings by the House of Lords EU External Affairs Sub-Committee.

But the report concludes that the operation’s search and rescue work which has saved the lives of many people should continue.

Barry Badrinath

The reason OP Sophia is failing, in simplistic terms.

1. They do not have permission to enter Libyan territorial waters to fight human trafficking.

2. The Libyan Coast Guard has the responsibility of deterring migration in their waters. They are a poorly trained and equipped irregular force with limited capacity. They are known to be corrupt and some units are in cahoots wih human trafficking gangs.

3. Without a stable government, Libya has no security infrastructure to counter irregular migration.

4. OP Sophia interacts with the 'end state' of the migration flow.....its too late at that stage. EUNAVFOR has not actually "failed" as they have no authority or means to stop migration at its source.

5. The Libyan government has failed, the UN has failed, the EU has failed, the Libyan Coast Guard has failed. EUNAVFOR has done its job. You cant just let people die.

BoJack Horseman

The WB Yeats, currently just off Tripoli doing its trafficking thing

https://www.vesselfinder.com/?imo=9751494

BoJack Horseman

WBY working beside 2 x NGO trafficking vessels just off the Libyan coast.

ezra_

BoJack Horseman wrote: »

WBY working beside 2 x NGO trafficking vessels just off the Libyan coast.

NGO Trafficking vessels??!

donaghs

ezra_ wrote: »

NGO Trafficking vessels??!

Not intentionally in most cases. Good intentions. But since the NGOs arrived, the traffickers can now load more people onto boats, and no longer have to make the full journey to Italy. Just a much smaller journey to the rescue boats, before they sink.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/feb/27/ngo-rescues-off-libya-encourage-traffickers-eu-borders-chief

This in turn encourages more people to risk the journey to Libya. Considering for example that almost all women/teenage girls who make this journey experience rape at least once, who would want to increase migration numbers?
https://www.oxfam.org/en/pressroom/pressreleases/2017-08-09/torture-rape-and-slavery-libya-why-migrants-must-be-able-leave

BoJack Horseman

WB Yeats has now finished its migrant/trafficking mission & is heading home



The Niamh is heading south to take its place.

a/tel

BoJack Horseman wrote: »

WB Yeats has now finished its assigned mission & is heading home



The Niamh is heading south to take its place.

Fixed your incorrect post there bud!!!:D:D:D