Tri-Service

HMS Enterprise Sails Into Intelligence Gathering Role

The Royal Navy's HMS Bulwark is to end its migrant search and rescue mission in the Mediterranean.

In a shift in focus it'll be replaced by the much smaller HMS Enterprise as the British government looks to concentrate on efforts to disrupt the smuggling networks and the criminal gangs running the operations.

A survey ship with a crew of 48, one Merlin helicopter and a single launch, HMS Enterprise is considerably smaller than the Albion-class assault flagship Bulwark.

But working with teams from GCHQ a Downing Street spokesperson said "The information uncovered by analysts will be used to help disrupt those orchestrating the smuggling, and could pave the way for the second phase of the operation which would involve intercepting smugglers' vessels on the high seas and - subject to agreement from others - in territorial waters, and impounding their vessels."

Enterprise is not new to such an intelligence gathering role having patrolled off the coast of Iraq and hunted pirates through the Gulf of Aden and off the Somali coast.

The vessel also evacuated British citizens from Libya last September as the situation in the country deteriorated. 

The move from a humanitarian stance to one of possible confrontation is though not without criticism.

Campaigners, among them the Refugee Council and Save the Children, insist there needs to be a scaling up of efforts and have labelled the British government's decision 'irresponsible'.

The Defence Secretary Michael Fallon has defended the decision saying "Migrants will keep coming if they think they are going to be settled.

"At the moment we are simply dealing with the symptoms.”

The UK is under pressure from other EU countries to help settle some of the estimated 54,000 migrants who have arrived in Italy so far this year.

The Prime Minister David Cameron refuses however to have any involvement.

A new EU joint naval operation in the Mediterranean is due to be agreed this week. 

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