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HMS Bulwark on mission to rescue 500 migrants in boats off Libya coast
HMS Bulwark rescues more than 1,000 migrants off Libyan coast
(about 7 hours later)
A Royal Navy warship is on a rescue mission to save at least 500 people drifting in four boats after they set off from Libya.
The Royal Navy rescued more than 1,000 migrants off the coast of Libya on Sunday, as HMS Bulwark, a 19,000-tonne assault ship, conducted five rescue missions, with two more continuing.
Helicopter crews from HMS Bulwark spotted the boats in distress at first light on Sunday morning, the Ministry of Defence said. The ship is now on its way to the area.
Helicopters spotted a number of migrant vessels – often in poor visibility – allowing boats from HMS Bulwark to get to them. The latest callout saw the use of all eight of the ship’s landing craft. Among the migrants rescued were at least 10 pregnant women.
It has already rescued 747 people from dangerously overcrowded boats in waters off Libya last week.
Nick Cooke-Priest, captain of HMS Bulwark, said: “Starting very early this morning, this has been an intense, complex day. My helicopters have done a brilliant job locating a number of migrant vessels and my landing craft have effected their rescues with typical professionalism and complete success.”
He added: “In many ways this search and rescue mission is like an amphibious operation – I’ve deployed landing craft and aircraft in multiple waves, in poor visibility, operating autonomously over the horizon – the objective this time, of course, being to save life. But it’s only through being trained for high-intensity war-fighting operations that we are able to execute such activities in peacetime.”
HMS Bulwark and three Royal Navy Merlin helicopters deployed to the Mediterranean on 5 May have played a leading role in the EU’s mission to stem the flow of illegal migrants to the continent.
The latest rescue brings the total number of people saved by HMS Bulwark to more than 2,700, with it plucking 747 people from dangerously overcrowded boats in a similar operation last week.
The ship was sent by the government to help the search and rescue operation in the Mediterranean itackle a large increase in the number dying trying to cross the sea. It is estimated more than 1,600 people have drowned so far this year trying to make the crossing.
Related: Half a million refugees gather in Libya to attempt perilous crossing to Europe
Related: Half a million refugees gather in Libya to attempt perilous crossing to Europe
On Sunday all European naval ships in the region were ordered back to the area after intelligence suggested up to 14 migrant vessels were on the open water.
Many are fleeing war in Libya, where Islamic State fighters are terrorising the population, fuelling instability in the war-torn country.
“From first light this morning, a Merlin helicopter from 814 Squadron onboard HMS Bulwark has been conducting surveillance operations and has identified four migrant vessels in distress, containing a total of at least 500 people,” an MoD spokeswoman said.
Defence secretary, Michael Fallon, thanked HMS Bulwark for its “unwavering efforts” at sea, but said it was necessary to look at the root cause of the problem, rather than just addressing the symptoms.
“HMS Bulwark has now commenced rescue operations to recover those in the vessels.”
This was reiterated by David Cameron as he arrived at the G7 summit in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. He said Britain is a country that “doesn’t walk on by” and that the flagship had been deployed because the UK is a “country with a conscience”.
The 19,000-tonne assault ship was sent as part of a joint EU operation in the Mediterranean after a dramatic increase in the number of migrants drowning as they attempted the sea crossing from Africa.
But he warned that the causes of the exodus from Libya must be dealt with, not just the consequences, adding: “But we also need to do more to stop these people leaving their countries in the first place.”
It is estimated that more than 1,600 people have drowned so far this year trying to make the crossing to Italy, where they hope to start a new life in Europe.
Speaking in Germany before the start of the G7 summit, the UK prime minister, David Cameron, said: “HMS Bulwark, the Royal Navy flagship, is in the Mediterranean because we want to save lives. Britain is a country that doesn’t walk on by. We are a country with a conscience, and that’s right.
“But we also need to do more to stop these people leaving their countries in the first place. That’s what we are using our aid budget for; that’s why we will be talking here at the G7 about how we try and put a Libyan government together. We need to deal with the causes of this migration, not simply with its consequences.”
Related: G7 summit: Ukraine, Greek bailout and climate top agenda for Bavaria meeting
On Friday an Irish Navy ship, the LE Eithne, successfully located and rescued a small craft that was in distress 25 miles (40km) north of Tripoli, Libya, with 113 people on board. It also rescued a barge with about 310 people on board, approximately 30 miles north of the city of Zuwarah, Libya, on Saturday after they initiated a distress call.
Up to half a million more refugees are believed to be gathering in Libya to attempt the crossing to Italy, hoping to begin a new life in Europe. They set off in boats typically carrying between 200-500 people, with some packing in more than 700. Bulwark has the capacity to rescue hundreds of people.
The passengers on some boats are thought to have been told to scupper them as soon as they see a rescue ship, to ensure they will be saved. However, many cannot swim. It is estimated that more than 1,600 people have drowned this year trying to make the crossing to Italy.
So far this year 76,000 migrants have made the 260-mile crossing into Europe from Libya, with 40,000 remaining in Italy.
Bulwark’s captain, Nick Cooke-Priest, said: “Indications are that there are 450,000 to 500,000 migrants in Libya who are waiting at the border.”
