The HMS Bulwark’s commanding officer, Nick Cooke-Priest, trod carefully when asked about the UK’s future involvement in search and rescue operations in the Mediterranean – saying such a matter was not within his remit.

When asked about Britain’s controversial refusal to accept migrants as part of an EU resettlement plan, he said: “That’s a question for politicians. My job is to conduct search and rescue and I have got a very clear mission. So I will carry on doing that to the greatest extent of my capabilities.”

HMS Bulwark’s commanding officer, Nick Cooke-Priest.

The 18,500-ton vessel is making an operational five-day stop in Malta after saving nearly 3,000 migrants as part of a search and rescue mission that was launched last month and codenamed Operation Weald.

Equipped with three Merlin helicopters, the ship also boasts a large floodable dock, which last Sunday was crucial in a rescue operation involving 1,200 migrants who were later disembarked in Sicily.

Reports in the British media said about 500,000 migrants were expected to cross the Mediterranean this summer.

Capt. Cooke-Priest acknowledged that even by military standards this operation was one of the biggest in recent years.

“The numbers here are huge, so it is a premeditated search and rescue task, different [from normal operations],” he said.

Asked about the long-term solution to this crisis, the commander said it all depended on political stability in Libya.

He added it was extremely difficult to say whether more vessels would be necessary to maintain the momentum gained so far in the operation because the situation was very volatile. Capt. Cooke-Priest said the rescue operation was very delicate, as most of the migrants could not swim and would be suffering from dehydration and, at times, malaria, typhoid or scabies.

He pointed out that the Royal Navy had not interacted with the Libyan authorities because missions were carried out in international waters.

Following its brief stop in Malta, HMS Bulwark will resume operations in the Mediterranean until the end of the ship’s mission at the beginning of next month.