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On the 19th April 2015, an estimated 700 children, women and men drowned in the Mediterranean while desperately searching for a new life in safety and peace. The European community was outraged and politicians vowed: ‘never again’.
The following year, on the 18th of April, up to 500 people died in shipwrecks off the Libyan coast.
As MOAS prepared to commemorate these mass tragedies, our crew were out in the Central Mediterranean on our search and rescue vessel, the Phoenix. Our 2017 mission had launched 2 weeks earlier; a date chosen precisely to avoid yet more April tragedies. As the Phoenix travelled to the zone of operations following a period of bad weather, they knew that many rescues lay ahead of them; but they could never have anticipated the scale of what they were about to face.
Here, we will set out how the weekend unfolded, and how it was that through determination, teamwork and solidarity among everyone at sea, another mass tragedy was avoided.
The Rescues
On Good Friday, 14th April 2017, throughout the day over 2000 people were rescued by SAR agencies, mostly NGOs and coast guard vessels. The Phoenix participated in the rescue of 273 people, transferring everyone to an Italian coast guard vessel so that our crew could remain in the area to assist with further rescues the following day.
On Saturday 15th April in the early hours of the morning the Phoenix engaged in a rescue of a blue rubber boat, which was immediately followed by the rescue of a large wooden boat nearby. For a few hours, the thoughts of the crew turned to post-rescue care for those on board, while the Phoenix continued to wait for information and instructions from the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) in Rome.
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However, as evening drew in the Phoenix began to spot more vessels in distress. Within hours, it was surrounded by 7 rubber boats and 2 wooden boats, between them carrying an estimated 1000 people on board in desperate need. Darkness fell and the weather worsened as the crew, who had by now been working continuously for over 15 hours, set about distributing life jackets and emergency rations to those stranded on the boats at sea.
“Just when we thought we had some control, more boats appeared. The big wooden boat was the most complex; on the one hand, we needed the engines to keep running to keep the pumps going and stop the boat from sinking, but on the other hand, we knew of over 200 people in the hold who could be suffocating from the fumes produced by the engine. As each hour passed our concern increased: would we run out of fuel, or would we find bodies?”
- Paul, MOAS Rescue Swimmer
Women, children and emergency medical cases were quickly taken on board the Phoenix while others were stabilised as best as possible under the circumstances. The Phoenix soon reached capacity, with a total of 453 people on board, among them a 2-week old baby and several pregnant women.
Alone and seriously concerned, the Phoenix crew waited well into the night as crew members supervised an estimated 1,500 vulnerable, frightened people in distress.
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Throughout the night the Phoenix waited for assistance, desperately trying to maintain control in the rolling swell. Just before midnight, another SAR NGO, Jugend Rettet, arrived on their vessel, Iuventa, and began to take people from one of the rubber boats on board.
At 05:00 on the morning of the 16th, and spotted a further wooden boat with approximately 70 people on board nearby; the Phoenix swiftly headed over to distribute life jackets.
In the early morning of Easter Sunday the MOAS aircraft began its patrol, spotting vessels previously unseen. The Phoenix distributed life jackets to one small wooden boat and immediately headed to a severely deflated rubber boat nearby to assist the Sea Eye in an incredibly delicate rescue where people were already in the water.
MOAS deployed both RHIBs, several inflatables and yet more life jackets. Despite desperate efforts by the crews of both NGOs and the safe rescue of approximately 100 people, at least 7 people lost their lives, including one boy of around 8 years old. All 7 casualties were taken on the Phoenix, before the MOAS crew headed back to the 9 rubber boats to continue assisting rescue there.
Help had arrived in many different forms; NGO vessels, merchant and fishing vessels ready to assist in the desperate situation. Through the next hours the Phoenix continued to assist as boat after boat were transferred onto safer vessels and, with the swell still growing, the rescues became more challenging, particularly as people were assisted onto a large fishing vessel, having to scale the sides in dangerous conditions.
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The solidarity demonstrated by all present over the weekend saved many lives. Those who stepped in unexpectedly significantly contributed to operations and the crews who were not used to seeing such desperation at sea were deeply moved. The crews, working together under pressure and for an extended period, developed a comradery and as they parted ways the teams wished each other well for the onward journey.
During the rescue we placed some people on a fishing boat that was nearby. When we went back, they gave us a crate of fish for our crew – among everything that was happening, I was strangely touched by that.
- Annie, Paramedic
Following many more hours of tireless work among everyone at the scene, rescues finally came to a close. In total, around 1,800 people were rescued or assisted by MOAS this weekend, while the total number of people rescued across the weekend is expected to be much higher. The Phoenix is now headed to disembark and is scheduled to arrive on Wednesday morning. As the vessel heads north, the MOAS crew is concentrating on delivering much needed post-rescue care to all those on board, before they face the next stage of their journey.
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European governments need to show more solidarity to the humanitarian organisations out at sea and on land that are working on the front line to help resolve this humanitarian crisis. Border control is not the solution. People will continue to die. If civil society is not out at sea, people will not know what is happening; they will not be able to see how many people are dying in desperation, abandoned.
Regina Catrambone, MOAS Co-Founder/Director
For now, MOAS will not only remember those who lost their lives this weekend and in previous April tragedies, but will also celebrate the dedication, determination and cooperation of all SAR and non-SAR assets who this weekend prevented what could have been the most devastating mass casualty the Mediterranean has ever seen.
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