Following the first three chapters of our ‘SAR Mission Up-Close’ series this month, today’s chapter focuses disembarkation, followed by a brief overview of the challenges that people face once they start their life in Europe.
Disembarkation in Italy
Once a rescue has been conducted and the people we have rescued are safely on board and receiving post-rescue care, our crew will wait for instructions from the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) in Rome. As the Italian authorities have assumed the responsibility for the SAR zone, the MRCC will instruct the Phoenix to head to a designated port in Italy.
The length of the journey depends on the allocated port; we have had journeys of up to 70 hours with over 400 people on board. Disembarkations occur during working hours, so if we happen to reach the port during night-time, we will be required to stay at a distance until the next day. As we arrive to the port, there are teams in place to welcome us: emergency medical care professionals, members of the Polizia Scientifica, ambulances and other entities will be working together to make the disembarkation as smooth as possible.
As we arrive to the port, we raise a yellow flag: this signals that the vessel hasn’t been inspected for health and contamination risks. Medical professionals will then inspect the Phoenix, and check that we are not putting anyone at risk by disembarking the people on board: once we have their go ahead, the yellow flag comes down and the disembarkation can begin.