#Rendezvous - L.É. James Joyce which has been tasked to continue humanitarian duties in the Mediterranean made a rendezvous with L.É. Roisin, east of Gibraltar yesterday, writes Jehan Ashmore

OPV LE James Joyce departed the Naval Base, Haulbowline on Friday, to assist the Italian authorities in the continuing search and rescue (SAR) humanitarian operations of migrants off north Africa.

Under command of Captain, Lieutenant Commander Neil Manning and his crew and medical personnel of 59 persons, L.É. James Joyce, is the Navy Service’s newest operational OPV90 class vessel. Next month, a third sister which has undergone trials, L.É. William Butler Yeats is expected to be delivered to Irish waters.

The L.É. Roisin was making a homeward bound voyage from Valetta, Malta. During the meeting, both OPV’s carried out parallel courses for a period and transferred medical and IT equipment.

L.É. James Joyce becomes the fifth ship deployed by the Naval Service to the Mediterranean Sea as part of Operation PONTUS.