THE CABINET TODAY confirmed that it would be sending an Irish Navy vessel to the Mediterranean on a humanitarian patrol.
The LÉ Eithne will be assisting with the ongoing migration crisis in the region that has seen hundreds killed in major drowning incidents in recent weeks.
Minister for Defence Simon Coveney gained cabinet approval for deploying the ship earlier today.
He said last week that the government had been liasing with Malta and Italy to arrange the deployment.
It is thought that around 1,750 have been killed in drowning incidents since the start of the year.
Last month 700 people were drowned in one incident when a fishing boat carrying migrants to Europe capsized off of the coast of Libya.
Only 28 people managed to survive.
On a single day earlier this month, almost 3,700 people were rescued while trying to reach Europe.
A meeting was held at the end of last month among European Leaders to try and devise a way to deal with the ongoing crisis. This saw leaders decide to triple funds for the bloc’s maritime search and rescue operation.
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