The French Marine Nationale, British Royal Navy, German Deutsche Marine and Hellenic Navy have all dispatched vessels to assist the population of Beirut.
French Navy Mistral-class LHD Tonnerre
Tonnerre set sails yesterday from Toulon naval base. The French LHD is expected to reach Beirut on Thursday. Aboard the amphibious vessel are significant human resources (around 700 soldiers) as well as equipment that will be used for assessing the port environment, securing maritime approaches and infrastructure, clear debris…
In details, Tonnerre deployed with:
- An engineer group of the French Army of about 350 men commanded by the 2nd Régiment étranger de génie. Established on very short notice, this module is particularly suited to operating in complex environments, in particular through its clearing, engineering and deployment assistance capacities;
- A detachment of EOD divers from the French Navy with skills in underwater work and investigation of port areas;
- Amphibious landing means: one EDAR and two CTM landing crafts;
- Two helicopters (a Caracal from the French Air Force and an Alouette III from the French Navy);
- Maritime access reconnaissance and hydrographic support capabilities of the French Naval Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service (SHOM);
- A module of the 519th régiment du train;
- Fire-fighting vehicles from Marseille firefighters which will be donated to Lebanon;
- Staff and essential equipment (food freight and construction materials) made available by the Ministry of the Armed Forces, the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Solidarity and health, and by private companies.
In addition, more personnel and heavy equipment from the French Army, as well as essential equipment, will be brought to Lebanon by a chartered vessel.
Tonnerre was deployed in March to the Island of Corsica in a mission to evacuate several Coronavirus / COVID19 patients towards mainland France.
Royal Navy survey ship HMS Enterprise
Royal Navy survey ship HMS Enterprise arrived today in Beirut (it was previously in Limassol, Cyprus). The ship travelled to Lebanon to assess the damage of Beirut’s port following Tuesday’s explosion and help return it to normal operations. The deployment of Enterprise complements an immediate British package of military and civilian support and £5m worth of aid.
According to the Royal Navy, the Port of Beirut is crucially important for the economic stability of Lebanon and receives the majority of the country’s imports.
German Navy Corvette Ludwigshafen am Rhein
The German Navy Braunschweig-class corvette Ludwigshafen am Rhein was removed from its current assignment with the UN mission UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) and left Limasol in Cyprus on 6 August. The vessel arrived in Beirut the same day to provide on-site support with the crew, including a ship’s doctor.
Hellenic Navy Landing Ship Tank Ikaria
The Greek government have tasked landing ship tank (LST) Ikaria to deploy to Beirut. The Vessel is transporting medical supplies and personnel from the Hellenic Navy. At the request of Cyprus, the ship will load additional materials in Limassol on its way to Lebanon.
Other Navies
The huge explosion that rocked Beirut Port on Tuesday evening (4 August) resulted in several UNIFIL naval peacekeepers from Bangladesh being injured, some of them seriously according to an official statement. The Castle-class corvette BNS Bijoy was docked at the Port as part of the UNIFIL Maritime Task Force.
The Brazilian Navy frigate Independencia provided assistance to the Bangladesh Navy corvette and and carried out a preliminary survey of the port access channel and berthing berths. Was also deployed as part of UNIFIL.
