UK warship could target people smugglers in Mediterranean

Wednesday September 16, 2015

HMS Richmond would be used to board and seize vessels in the southern Mediterranean, said the Ministry of Defence. Photograph: Andrew Matthews/PA

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UK offers to send HMS Richmond to Libyan coast as part of operation against criminal gangs risking lives of refugees. A Royal Navy warship is being offered to the EU in the fight against people smugglers in the Mediterranean Sea as the operation to target criminal gangs is stepped up.

HMS Richmond could be sent to the waters of the coast of Libya to stop human traffickers who are risking the lives of refugees by taking them on the perilous journey to Europe by boat.

More than 2,000 people have died trying to make the crossing so far this year, according to the International Organisation for Migration, and the defence secretary, Michael Fallon, has said the crisis must be tackled “at source”.

HMS Enterprise is already stationed in the Mediterranean and the offer of another frigate to go after criminals will be officially made at an EU force generation conference on Wednesday.

While HMS Richmond, which has a special surveillance system allowing it to cover vast areas, will be able to help in search and rescue missions, its primary role will be to board and seize vessels in the southern Mediterranean, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said.

Fallon said: “The vital work of HMS Bulwark, HMS Enterprise and our Merlin helicopters shows the UK’s commitment to tackling the refugee crisis at source.

“The Royal Navy has rescued thousands of people from peril but we’ve been clear we have to tackle the gangs behind this, which is why it’s important the mission moves to the next phase.
“We will not stand by and let this smuggling trade escalate; we will confront this criminal activity which risks the lives of innocent people every day.”

HMS Enterprise was sent to replace HMS Bulwark, which saved 3,000 lives in the Mediterranean, in July as the EU’s naval operation began to move towards a focus on tackling smugglers.

Last month, the ship was involved in what the MoD described as the largest operation to take place in a single day of the mission. When more than 20 vessels with migrants and refugees on board issued distress calls HMS Enterprise was able to take on board 453 of the 4,400 saved off the coast of Libya, as teams from several other European countries also helped with the rescue.

The former Labour security minister Lord West, a former senior Royal Navy officer,, questioned the wisdom of the latest move.

“I’m not at all clear exactly what their trying to do, it sounds slightly a bit of a mess,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. “What we’re doing at the moment by just rescuing people in international waters is we’ve become part of the package being sold by people smugglers to get people to Europe.

“The only thing [HMS Richmond] has got that others haven’t is a thing called ScanEagle, which is a drone which was originally used for hunting for fish and things. It is very useful for the wider area coverage but I do believe we should be much more aggressive in terms of sealing the coast.”

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