A view from the deck of HMS Enterprise into the Port of Beirut

Beirut explosion: How UK Armed Forces expertise is helping restore the port

Following the explosion in Lebanon’s capital city, the UK Armed Forces are helping the people of Beirut in their time of need.

British military experts are working with Lebanon’s own Armed Forces to assess the damage and help get the Port of Beirut, one of the country’s most crucial centres for import, back up and running.

The Commanding Officer of HMS Enterprise, a member of the British Army and a representative of the Lebanese Armed Forces review a chart of the approaches to Beirut.

A small team of military advisors worked from the UK Embassy in Beirut to determine what was needed and coordinate support to the Lebanese Armed Forces - such as medical equipment , air transport, engineering and communications.

Supplies and Surveying

HMS Enterprise sailed across the Mediterranean from her berth in Cyprus, with her quarterdeck full of supplies to help house as many as 500 Lebanese personnel.

HMS Enterprise in the Port of Beirut

Within days of the explosion, she delivered 500 canvas cots, 112 tents and five field kitchens, with British Army soldiers and Royal Marines on board to assist.

Members of the British Army’s Mercian Regiment helped set up camp beds and field kitchens at the port

When her deliveries were made, HMS Enterprise - a Royal Navy survey ship - had another vital role to perform. The crew used their specialist equipment and skills to examine the damage to the port’s seabed.

Survey motorboat Spitfire in the Port of Beirut

In just one day the ship’s hydrographers, on the survey motorboat Spitfire, measured the depth of the waters to map how the explosion has changed routes into the harbour.

RAF C-17 loading its cargo at RAF Brize Norton

The RAF have also been on hand to offer their support. Cold storage containers, a vital resource for storing medical supplies were delivered from the UK to Lebanon by an RAF C-17 last weekend.

RAF logisticians load cold storage containers onto a C-17 at RAF Brize Norton.

Find out where else the UK Armed Forces are deployed here: