The ceaseless turmoil in the Mideast is wreaking havoc, human and governmental, across the Mediterranean Sea as migrants, most of them in overcrowded boats, are streaming away from North Africa in search of asylum in European countries.

A number of countries have heeded a call from the European Union to patrol the waters where the migrant craft are crossing. As of late June, officials estimate that some 60,000 refugees have put to sea this year, with some 2,000 dying en route, according to the United Nations, as countries like Italy and France, facing domestic unrest over migration, keep trying to figure out what to do with the unexpected inflow.

The Irish Navy has been a key player in the ongoing patrol-and-rescue operation. The accompanying photos, provided to the Associated Press by Irish Defence Forces, show Irish sailors in action on June 6, offloading migrants and tending to a baby in arms aboard the Irish Navy’s Le Eithne.

For more on Le Eithne’s mission, see Ed Forry’s Publisher’s Notebook.