#Beckett2Med - Due to depart her base in Haulbowline, Co Cork, this morning, LÉ Samuel Beckett (P61) is to take over refugee rescue missions in the Mediterranean from LÉ Niamh.

According to The Irish Examiner, it’s expected that she will take a week to get to her area of operations between Sicily and Libya and prior to starting her mission, her 59-strong crew under the command of Lieutenant Commander Anthony Geraghty, will get a briefing from the Italian authorities in Sicily.

Meanwhile, LÉ Niamh’s crew have finished their mission and are currently enjoying some R&R in the Maltese capital Valletta.

Yesterday the crew hosted a reception for the Irish ambassador and they will depart for home on Saturday. Depending on weather she should arrive in Haulbowline on Friday, October 2.

Both ships will rendezvous somewhere near Gibraltar in the coming days, where some personnel and equipment will be transferred between them.

For much more on the refugee migrant crisis, click here.