HMS Bulwark has conducted another migrant rescue mission in the central Mediterranean.
The Royal Navy flagship was alerted that up to 400 migrants were crammed into a crowded wooden hulled boat in waters just north of Libya earlier this afternoon.
The ship sent 5 of its landing craft to rescue the migrants, 50 of whom were small children.
![Pictured: 369 migrants crammed into a heavily overcrowded wooden hulled boat which was located in the waters just north of Libya. They were led to safety from their stricken boat to Landing craft from HMS Bulwark. The Fleet Flagship has once again played a leading role today [28 May] in an international rescue of hundreds of migrants from their stricken craft in the Central Mediterranean. This afternoon HMS BULWARK recovered 369 migrants crammed into the heavily overcrowded wooden hulled boat which was located in the waters just north of Libya. The ship dispatched 5 of its landing craft to rescue the migrants from their unstable double-decker craft, 50 of whom were small children. All 8 of BULWARKs specialist landing craft have been converted into rescue boats, loaded with lifejackets, medical facilities and emergency supplies for this search and rescue mission codenamed Operation WEALD. A total of 5 Safety of Life at Sea or SOLAS incidents have been conducted concurrently today by UK, Italian, German and Irish naval units operating together in the area.](https://modmedia.blog.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/142/2015/05/LMNT_5775.jpg)
369 migrants crammed into a heavily overcrowded wooden hulled boat which was located in the waters just north of Libya.
In the wider operating area there have been 5 life-saving operations taking place today, involving Italian, German and Irish naval units.
Bulwark will function as a ‘rescue hub’ to accept and transfer around 800 people to a designated port of safety from the combined mission today.
![Pictured: Migrants are led to safety from their stricken craft to a Landing craft from HMS Bulwark in the Central Mediterranean. The Fleet Flagship has once again played a leading role today [28 May] in an international rescue of hundreds of migrants from their stricken craft in the Central Mediterranean. This afternoon HMS BULWARK recovered 369 migrants crammed into the heavily overcrowded wooden hulled boat which was located in the waters just north of Libya. The ship dispatched 5 of its landing craft to rescue the migrants from their unstable double-decker craft, 50 of whom were small children. All 8 of BULWARKs specialist landing craft have been converted into rescue boats, loaded with lifejackets, medical facilities and emergency supplies for this search and rescue mission codenamed Operation WEALD. A total of 5 Safety of Life at Sea or SOLAS incidents have been conducted concurrently today by UK, Italian, German and Irish naval units operating together in the area.](https://modmedia.blog.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/142/2015/05/LMNT_5820-1.jpg)
Migrants are led to safety from their stricken craft to a Landing craft from HMS Bulwark in the Central Mediterranean.
Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said:
HMS Bulwark and her crew have once again saved hundreds of lives in the Mediterranean migrant crisis, offering medical assistance, food, water and dry clothes to those in need.
A wider political solution is required to this crisis, but that does not detract from today’s rescue at sea.
Leading the rescue mission, HMS Bulwark’s Commanding Officer Captain Nick Cooke-Priest, said:
My sailors and marines have once again demonstrated great skill, sense and adaptability, and have carried out the task with complete success.
I have no doubt that we have again, today, saved hundreds of lives; some horrifyingly young.
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