UK officials at this week’s meeting of G7 industrialised nations said they would seek UN approval so that the new warship could also seize boats suspected of smuggling arms to fighters of so-called Islamic State in Libya.
The UK currently has one survey vessel, HMS Enterprise, operating in the area.
The UK to send another warship to the Mediterranean to help tackle people-smuggling and movements of arms in and out of Libya, officials say.
David Cameron told the G7 summit in Japan that the UK was ready to take an “active leadership role” in helping Libya deal with trafficking.
