A British Royal Navy survey ship arrived at the Port of Beirut on Monday carrying aid and a team of specialist to asses the considerable damage at the facility, Tabnak reports citing Fars.
British officials claim the purpose of sending the ship from Cyprus to the port of Beirut is to help Lebanon to return to normal life.
Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said: “At the request of the Lebanese Government I have authorized the sending of HMS Enterprise to help survey the Port of Beirut, assessing the damage and supporting Lebanon rebuild this vital piece of national infrastructure.“
Adding, “We have a close and enduring friendship with the Lebanese people, our military is ready to support them in their time of need,” further noting, “The Port of Beirut is crucially important for the economic stability of Lebanon and receives the majority of the country’s imports.“
The port of Beirut is one of the 10 ports in the Mediterranean Sea and is the gateway to the West Asian region.
The UK has announced that the “HMS Enterprise” fulfills a part of the 5 million British pound military and civilian aid program.
The UK Armed Forces is also deploying a small team to the UK Embassy in Beirut to help identify requirements and coordinate the package of wider support to the Lebanese Armed Forces. This includes the offer of tailored medical support, military air transport assistance and engineering and communications capabilities.
Meanwhile, the French navy announced that the Tonnerre warship had left the French naval base at Toulon and is expected to reach Lebanon on Thursday.
The cruise ship was sent to Lebanon with 700 troops and is said to be carrying humanitarian aid to Lebanon, according to French officials.
A German ship withdrew from its current mission with UNIFIL and left the port of Limassol in Cyprus with assistance materials on August 6 and arrived in the port of Beirut the same day.
