Séamus Healy (Tipperary, Workers and Unemployed Action Group)
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94. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the number of occasions on which a Naval Service vessel participating in Operation Sophia in the Mediterranean Sea transferred migrants and refugees from an Irish vessel to another vessel at sea; the number transferred in each case; the national designation of the ship to which they were transferred in each case; the port at which the transferred migrants and refugees were put ashore in the case of each transfer; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28452/18]

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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In July 2017, Government and Dáil approval was secured for the deployment of an Irish Naval Service vessel as part of Operation Sophia. Irish naval vessel L.É. Niamh subsequently deployed on 6 October 2017 to join Operation Sophia and returned on 20 December 2017.  The participation by L.É. Niamh in Operation Sophia represented the first involvement by the Naval Service in a multilateral security operation under a UN mandate.  In the course of an 11 week deployment in the Mediterranean, L.É. Niamh rescued 613 migrants, assisting with a further 107 migrant rescues.

In February 2018, the Government approved the consecutive deployment of 2 naval vessels for a period of approximately 30 weeks running from mid-April to end-November.  L.É. Samuel Beckett is currently deployed in this operation and will be replaced in mid-July by L.É. James Joyce.

While participating in Operation Sophia a total of 294 rescued migrants  disembarked from L.É. Niamh at an Italian port.

Irish Naval Service Vessels have in addition, transferred rescued persons to other vessels at sea on four occasions as follows:

a)  23 October 2017 - 21 persons were transferred to an Italian naval vessel

b)  1 November 2017 - 276 persons were transferred to an Italian Coastguard vessel

c)  2 November 2017 - 76 persons were transferred to a German naval vessel

d)  3 November 2017 - 53 persons were transferred to a Spanish naval vessel

Each of these transfers were either to an Italian Coastguard vessel or other Operation Sophia vessels for disembarkation at an Italian port.  The specific Italian port of disembarkation subsequently used in each case is a matter for the Italian authorities in consultation with the vessel in question.