Supporting the Mediterranean Migrant Mission
The Irish Naval Service have helped rescue over 12,000 men, women and children from the Mediterranean Sea since sending a vessel there in May 2015. Large numbers of people continue to cross the sea in search of a new start in Europe.
LE James Joyce approaching three crafts in the distance. Picture courtesy of the Irish Defence Forces.
In an interview on RTE Radio One yesterday morning Lieutenant Mike Brunicardi, Staff Officer in the Irish Naval Service's Operational Command Centre, gave an overview of the current migrant situation in the Mediterranean Sea.
Lieutenant Brunicardi revealed that 2,242 people have been rescued by the LE James Joyce since it arrived in the Mediterranean Sea almost two months ago. He also disclosed that more than 12,000 men, women and children have been rescued from the waters of the Mediterranean since the first Irish naval ship (the LE Niamh) arrived there in May 2015.
When asked about trends in 2016 versus last year, Lieutenant Bruncardi reported that while the numbers of those crossing is largely the same this year as last, there has been a marked changed in the pattern of crossings:
“What we’ve noticed, and certainly our analysis indicates, that where we saw, say the LE Niamh, this time last year was a steady flow of migrant craft out at any one time, there are big gaps now of seven or eight days maybe and what the people smugglers are doing is then sending-out large amounts of people.”
He went on to share an example of this new trend which happened two weeks ago:
“…on the 29th of August, while the LE James Joyce rescued 617 migrants from eight different craft, there were still another thirteen craft in the vicinity that day, which probably was the busiest day since the current migrant crisis started…the BBC World Service reported that that day alone there were 6,500 people taken from the waters…that shows that instead of a steady flow the people smugglers are now waiting, sending these people out in large numbers…”
Lieutenant Brunicardi painted a picture for listeners when he was asked about how the smugglers operate now:
“The Italian Coastguard report as soon as they get satellite telephone calls from the migrant craft, so what they (the migrants) are given is a satellite telephone, a magnetic compass and are told to steer north for x number of hours and then contact this number on the phone. The migrants themselves are calling-in. The Italian coastguard then tasks, we’ll say, the LE James Joyce to go and react…”
Winching a group of migrants onto the LE James Joyce. Picture courtesy of the Irish Defence Forces.
2,000 rescued in the past sixteen months, Lieutentent Brunicardi was very cognisant of the immediate impact that the Irish mission was having on those people searching for a new beginning in Europe:
“…last Saturday (September10th), the LE James Joyce was made the on-scene co-ordinator for the whole (rescue) operation…in charge of co-ordinating over eight vessels to ensure all the migrants were effectively recovered, while we were doing this busy task of on-scene co-ordinator, she (the LE James Joyce) also rescued 423 personnel from three different craft herself – one of those craft started sinking so again the quick reactions of the guys and girls in the boats managed to save all these people from the water…again if we had not been there these people could have lost their lives.
Lieutenant Brunicardi concluded that many of the craft that the Irish Navy have encountered this year are made from flimsy rubber, compared to mainly wooden craft last year. He believes that the quick reaction of rescue teams is more important now than ever before as these rubber crafts can be easily pierced and are badly put together.
Naval crew preparing to winch a boat full or migrants onto the LE James Joyce. Picture courtesy of the Irish Defence Forces.
