In March 2025, Operation EUNAVFOR MED IRINI investigated:

• 200 merchant vessels via radio calls (out of 18.209)
• carried out 7 visits on ships with Masters’ consent (out of 711).

The Operation also monitored:

•    40 suspect flights (out of 1.827)
•    continued to monitor 25 airports (and landing strips) and 16 ports (and oil terminals).

Background to EUNAVFOR MED IRINI

After the 1st Berlin Conference, the Council of the European Union decided to launch, on 31 March 2020, a new military operation called EUNAVOR MED IRINI focused on implementing the UN arms embargo on Libya.

Based on the EU Council Decision (CFSP) 2025/488 of 11 March 2025, EUNAVFOR MED IRINI’s mandate has been extend until 31 March 2027.

IRINI is part of the European integrated approach to Libya, which includes political, military, economic and humanitarian efforts to bring stability and security to the country.

The tasks of Operation EUNAVFOR MED IRINI are:

• to counter illegal arms trafficking, supporting the implementation of the arms embargo on Libya based on the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions (core task);
• to gather information on oil smuggling, in particular due to its consequences on the Libyan economy and its possible use to finance the arms market;
• to contribute to the disruption of the migrant smuggling business model by collecting information with aerial assets and sharing it with FRONTEX (The European Border and Coast Guard Agency) and relevant national authorities;
• to improve the Maritime Situational Awareness (MSA) in the Area of Operation by gathering information on potentially illegal activities and by gathering information useful for the protection of critical maritime infrastructure and for contingency planning;
• to assist in the development of the capacities and training of relevant Libyan institutions responsible for law enforcement at sea and Search and Rescue, in particular, to prevent human smuggling. This task was launched in December last year when EUNAVFOR MED IRINI and Delegation of the EU to Libya (EUDEL Libya) hosted the Libyan Joint Military Commission 5+5 and other Libyan military authorities for a technical meeting in Rome with representatives from the European External Action Service (EEAS), EUBAM Libya and UNSMIL.

Results of EUNAVFOR MED IRINI

Since its launch, Operation EUNAVFOR MED IRINI has boarded and inspected 31 suspect vessels. On three occasions, IRINI seized the cargos assessed to be in violation of the UN arms embargo and diverted the vessels to a port of an EU Member State.

Operation IRINI has also investigated 18.209 merchant vessels through request of information via radio calls (hailing) and visited 711 vessels upon their Masters’ consent (so-called ‘friendly approaches’*.)

Furthermore, the Operation has investigated:

• 1.827 suspect flights
• 25 airports and 16 ports
• provided 68 special reports to the UN Panel of Expert on Libya. Most of these referred to violations or possible violations of the arms embargo and oil smuggling activities in the west and in the east of the country.

Finally, through the embedded Crime Information Cell, the operation issued 92 recommendations for inspection of suspect vessels in EU Member States’ ports to the relevant Law Enforcement agencies, of which 73 were conducted.

These results have demonstrated IRINI’s effectiveness and impartiality.

* Inspections or friendly approaches are always carried out in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions framework, in full respect of the international law, without undermining the vessels’ schedule of activities. (data updated up to 1st of  April  2025).