SOS MEDITERRANEE

European Organisation for the Rescue of Lives at Sea. Updates from our Search and Rescue operations in the Central Mediterranean #OceanViking #TogetherForRescue

[SOS MEDITERRANEE @SOSMedIntl]

Help us keep our eyes in the sky. 🛫

Support the Albatross mission today: https://t.co/GMEEMEjAPN

[SOS MEDITERRANEE @SOSMedIntl]

WHERE ARE THEY? 🚨

20 people have been missing since Sunday. Our aircraft #AlbatrossUNO spotted them, alerted authorities repeatedly with updated coordinates - yet no coordinated search.

Where are they?

The Mediterranean is surveilled to intercept people, not rescue them.

[SOS MEDITERRANEE @SOSMedIntl]

However, on Sunday, we spotted a small wooden boat with ~30 people. After alerting authorities, we had to leave due to fuel restrictions.

Until now, we have no info on whether they reached safety.

[SOS MEDITERRANEE @SOSMedIntl]

In just two days of aerial monitoring, our crew spotted 5 distress cases in the Mediterranean.
4 of these were successfully rescued thanks to Sea-Watch 5 and the fast asset Aurora.

[SOS MEDITERRANEE @SOSMedIntl]

Sea-Watch 5 performed one rescue, and Aurora conducted two rescue operations+ stabilized one more boat in distress until the arrival of the Italian Coast Guard, which eventually rescued the rubber boat.

The coordinated efforts between civilian assets made all the difference.

[SOS MEDITERRANEE @SOSMedIntl]

Despite obstruction, criminalisation and intimidation at sea, our rescue vessel #OceanViking has rescued 1,001 people so far this year.

Every rescue is a life saved. Every life matters.

[SOS MEDITERRANEE @SOSMedIntl]

Among those stepping ashore are very young children with their families and teenagers travelling alone. On board, we heard painful accounts of suffering along their journeys and in Libya. They deserve a welcome that offers protection, care and a chance to feel safe.

[SOS MEDITERRANEE @SOSMedIntl]

All 99 survivors, including 29 minors and 27 women, have safely disembarked in #Naples. Three days ago, #OceanViking teams rescued 101 people from two rubber boats in distress after days and nights at sea. A pregnant woman was evacuated to Lampedusa, accompanied by her husband.

[SOS MEDITERRANEE @SOSMedIntl]

4/4 The #Mediterranean is under surveillance.

Surveillance cannot replace search & rescue. Interceptions cannot replace protection.

States must ensure every person in distress is rescued promptly & brought to a place of safety.

[SOS MEDITERRANEE @SOSMedIntl]

🚨1/4 Over 3 days, #AlbatrossUNO, documented an increase in Libyan maritime assets operating in international waters.

Patrol boats, fast RHIBs and unidentified vessels were repeatedly spotted near boats in distress.

[SOS MEDITERRANEE @SOSMedIntl]

3/4 #Frontex aircrafts were present during both interceptions documented by AlbatrossUNO.

Meanwhile, shipwrecks continue, lives are being lost, and these assets are not being used to save people in distress.

[SOS MEDITERRANEE @SOSMedIntl]

Naples has been assigned as the Place of Safety, three days of sailing away. This prolonged journey adds to the exhaustion of survivors who have already spent days at sea, placing a further strain on women, especially those who are pregnant, children and men alike.

[SOS MEDITERRANEE @SOSMedIntl]

A pregnant woman has been medically evacuated to Lampedusa by an Italian Coast Guard patrol boat, accompanied by her husband. The expectant parents were travelling together and were among the 101 people rescued by the Ocean Viking teams overnight and early this morning.

[SOS MEDITERRANEE @SOSMedIntl]

Responding to a second Alarm Phone alert, our teams rescued 41 people this morning from a partially deflated rubber boat in the Maltese SRR: 18 men, 7 women and 16 unaccompanied minors. They reported two nights without food or water and are recovering on #OceanViking.

[SOS MEDITERRANEE @SOSMedIntl]

The teams on #OceanViking rescued 101 people overnight and early this morning in two operations. All survivors are now safe on board our ship. Details below.

[SOS MEDITERRANEE @SOSMedIntl]

After an Alarm Phone alert and a Mayday Relay from Osprey 2, our teams rescued 60 people from an overcrowded, unseaworthy rubber boat in the Libyan SRR: 27 men, 21 women (5 pregnant) and 12 children, 4 aged 1 to 4. Two days at sea without supplies. Many had fuel burns.

[SOS MEDITERRANEE @SOSMedIntl]

Following the first rescue, #Albatross1 spotted another rubber boat in distress near the Bouri Oil Platform. The information was shared with all assets in the area, including MSF's boat Oyvon: 27 more people were finally rescued.

[SOS MEDITERRANEE @SOSMedIntl]

Yesterday, #Albatross1 assisted the sailing vessel AMA in locating, escorting & finally rescuing 27 people in distress, including 4 children & 12 women. They're now safely in Lampedusa.

[SOS MEDITERRANEE @SOSMedIntl]

Frontex aircrafts were the alert source for both boats in distress. In the case of the second boat, Eagle3 was present. When Albatross requested information about a rescue plan, its crew replied they had no information to share. Eagle3 stayed on scene during the interception.

[SOS MEDITERRANEE @SOSMedIntl]

Yesterday, on the second day of deployment for our monitoring aircraft Albatross Uno, our crew spotted a black rubber boat carrying around 20 people. The sponsons were already partially deflated, placing those on board at immediate risk. People were later rescued by @seaeyeorg 5.

[SOS MEDITERRANEE @SOSMedIntl]

Later on, our crew spotted another black rubber boat carrying ~30 people adrift in international waters. People on board were intercepted by a Libyan GACS patrol vessel donated by Italy and the EU and forcibly returned to Libya, in violation of int'l maritime and human rights law