The dead have a name – and a face

We look at the faces of Filimon, Hdru, Omar, Debesay, Huruy and Mogos. The faces of young men between the ages of 18 and 25. They had their whole future ahead of them. They wanted to study and get jobs, start families, live in peace and safety. But they are dead. Drowned, starved and parched, having fled death, torture, war and violence.

Their deaths were viewed as collateral damage, if not mercilessly included in the plan itself. The people in charge simply did not and do not care, that these young men died. This is an assumption, it is polemic, but the facts speak for it.

What we know:

At the beginning of April (the ALAN KURDI is on a rescue mission), 63 refugees in a rubber boat set out on the dangerous route across the Mediterranean (see also “Starved, parched and drowned in a European search and rescue zone“). After a long odyssey they reach the Maltese search and rescue zone. Malta is obligated to save the refugees. It is applicable law: maritime law and human rights. These established rights cannot be overridden due to the pandemic. European judges have determined this.

However, Malta hired a dubious businessman to send an inconspicuous fishing boat to bring the refugees back to Libya. This campaign killed twelve people, including the young men shown here with photos and names.

Where do the photos come from?

Avvenire.it first published the names and photos of the refugees. The portal is an official website of the Vatican news agency and is known for dealing directly with the topic of migration. The journalists have good contacts to Libya and thus also to the survivors of the push-back. As a result, the photos were probably leaked to them.

The research was also confirmed by the “Times of Malta”, where these photos were also published. Both sources are considered trustworthy and reputable. We rely on these two sources for the publication, there is no 100% certainty.

Why do we show the photos?

Because the dead have a face and a name. They aren’t just numbers and statistics.

“There is a tendency in society that has pushed the whole discussion about flight and people fleeing extremely to the right. The culture of conversation about it has been dehumanizing. That too is violent. And if we show these pictures – the pictures of real people, of personal fates, the stories behind them – then we bring this discourse back to a humane level. I believe that this dehumanized image needs to be corrected and therefore it is right to show the images,” said Gorden Isler, Sea-Eye’s chairman.

Isler draws parallels to the publication of Alan Kurdi’s picture. Even back then it was important to publish this picture because it changed public discourse.

The Bishop of Malta, Charles Scicluna, believes that the publication of the pictures does not cross any moral boundaries.

“The victims of our politics and our indifference have names and faces like all of us,” said the bishop on Twitter.

A political scandal

Maltese government official Neville Gafá swore under oath that he had organized the push-back and another Easter campaign under the direction of the Prime Minister’s office.

“I confirm that I was involved in a mission during Easter night and the following days, in which a boat with 51 irregular migrants, including eight women and three minors, was brought to the port of Tripoli. There were five bodies on the same boat,” said Gafá. (Sources: Times of Malta, repubblika.org)

He testified that he had acted on the instructions of the Prime Minister’s office. The latter had asked him to coordinate directly with the Libyan Ministry of the Interior and the Libyan Coast Guard. In addition, there is suspicion that there have been several illegal push-backs. In the meantime, criminal charges have been filed and there is said to be an official investigation.

(by Martin Geiger)

,

After the quarantine is before the quarantine

Doctor aboard the ALAN KURDI

Interview with Caterina, board doctor on the ALAN KURDI

Sea rescue in the time of the pandemic. After the dramatic events on the ALAN KURDI, it now lies at anchor in the bay of Palermo. 14 days of obligatory break. Also on board is Caterina, a doctor from Berlin. We spoke with her.

Let us start with a seemingly trivial question, but which does carry special significance in times of the pandemic. How are you?

(laughs) Yes, that is difficult. I’m alright, even though we still have to stay another week aboard the ALAN KURDI. The mission was exhausting but went well in the end. I can’t say I am feeling super good, but everyone on board is nice. That is worth a lot.

After last week’s dramatic events, you are now condemned to inactivity. How does one deal with this?

It is a really strange situation for me. After the refugees – our guests – were transferred, I was thinking at first that it had not even happened. We were done, completely worn out. We had barely slept while our guests were on board, and so at first, we were just tired (Editor’s note: the crew picked up 150 refugees on April 6 and handed them to the Italian Red Cross on April 17). Much of it I cannot really grasp yet or deal with psychologically. To truly process this, we have to leave the ALAN KURDI first (During the stay, there were two suicide attempts among the guests).

Disembarkation
The refugees are handed over to the Italian Red Cross

How is the mood on board and what do you do all day?

We keep busy with smaller tasks, tidy up the ship, take stock of everything. Small repairs like paint jobs are due. Everything we can do at sea. The mood is good.

Now you are in quarantine for 14 days on the ship, and once you get onto land, the next one comes. Do you have understanding for this?

I believe we do not have to be quarantined again in Italy, but when I return to Berlin, then yes. Of course, I am not alone during the trip, and there is risk of infection. Insofar I do understand. Even though I am not really looking forward to another quarantine in Berlin. My apartment in Berlin Mitte has no balcony, and when you look outside, you only see another building. I could imagine nicer circumstances, but that’s just how it is now.

All the refugees were tested negative for coronavirus. Does this reassure you?

Yes, that is pretty good news. The guests aboard the AITA MARI too, (Editor’s note: this ship of a Spanish NGO rescued 43 refugees from the Mediterranean, who were transferred to the Italian ferry as well) were tested negative for the virus. Yes, that is good news.

What would you have done in the case of a COVID-19 outbreak?

There had been a guideline from Sea-Eye in advance for what was to be done in case of an infection with the coronavirus. We would have isolated the patients, and these would have been cared for exclusively by me and the paramedic. Thus, we would have tried to stop the spread. While hoping, of course, that no complications would arise that we could not have treated on board.

Disembarkation
Farewell to the refugees

Sea rescue in the time of the pandemic. Is that a responsible thing to do?

Yes, this question has been posed to me often already. People who flee war and misery want to leave their country. Many of them have already been on the move for years, in the absence of human rights. They flee from torture, hunger and destitution. They want to live in safety. Even a pandemic won’t stop them. You know, I am Italian by birth. The situation in my home country is extremely tense due to the Corona-crisis. Everyday, I talk to my family there, with my relatives. I do not disregard this or ignore it. But the refugees, too, have a right to a better life. We need to help these people. We cannot just let them drown.

Will you continue nonetheless?

Yes! I continue nonetheless, yes. What we did, also during this mission, is necessary. During this period, people died. They logged a distress call and because nobody helped, they drowned. We already had 150 people on board and could not help anymore. But no one else came. Something like this must not happen. Regardless of the pandemic.

Are you afraid of an infection?

No. When I end this mission, I will work in the hospital again. There, the likelihood is relatively high that I get infected. The danger to be infected with the coronavirus is greater as a doctor in a hospital or as a customer in a supermarket, than as a doctor aboard the ALAN KURDI.

What is the first thing you’ll do once back in Berlin?

Well, what I would like to do is see my friends, drink a beer together by the riverside. But all of this will not be possible this quickly. When I think about that it is spring now in Berlin, that the weather is nice, then I want to go to the open-air cinema, to all the cultural possibilities. But for all of this, we will still have to wait a while.

(Martin Geiger)

Donate now for the next mission

Starved, parched and drowned in a european search and rescue zone

Destroyed rubber boat

Malta ignored emergency distress calls for five days and seems to have used third parties to violate international law.

A refugee drama in the Mediterranean took place largely unnoticed by the public in early April. A fishing boat with Maltese registration took care of a boat in distress. Although the refugees were already in the Maltese search and rescue zone, they were brought back to Libya. That alone constitutes a violation of applicable international law. But there is reason to suspect that there is a system behind the procedure.

Dramatic scenes take place on the ALAN KURDI in early April. With 150 rescued, the Sea-Eye rescue ship is hopelessly overcrowded. No port allows entry. In the meantime, even the supply with food and medicine was refused. Sea rescue in times of the coronavirus. The pandemic closes Europe’s hearts and harbors.

At the same time, a rubber boat sets off from Garabulli, Libya, on April 9th. There are 63 people on board – including seven women and three children. Their goal: a port of safety. The next day, the boat is sighted in the Libyan search and rescue zone by an aircraft of the EU border-control agency Frontex.

An emergency distress call is made at night via the Alarmphone. The unseaworthy boat is taking in water, the lives of the refugees are in mortal danger. The position of the GPS data indicated that they were in international waters. Alarmphone contacted the Maltese, Italian and Libyan authorities, but no rescue mission was started.

In the morning of April 11, those responsible in Libya are finally reached. But because of the pandemic, no rescue missions are started here either. On Sunday, April 12th – Europe is celebrating the Christian Easter – the boat in distress arrived in the Maltese search and rescue zone according to GPS data. 24 hours later, both Italian and Maltese authorities launch air surveillance missions that confirm this. This information could become important in the future as it demonstrates that Malta is clearly responsible and this could be relevant for an investigation into the incident.

The Portuguese merchant ship IVAN, which is in the vicinity of the boat in distress, is instructed to wait on site and only intervene in an emergency.

Then events roll over. At the sight of the large ship, refugees jump off board and try to swim to reach the ship. Completely exhausted, three of them drown in the sea. The desperate are holding a baby in the air to show the surveillance aircraft how great their distress and despair are.

Just before sunrise help arrives in the form of a fishing boat. The MAE YEMANJA takes over the survivors, the IVAN is ordered to move away. Since Malta has closed its ports, the captain brings the refugees back to Libya. So far, so easy. But it is not.

The truth seems a lot more terrible. The MAE YEMANJA, which reaches the port of Tripoli on April 15 – six days after it left – with 56 people on board, is probably not merely a harmless fishing boat.

Five people were killed. Starved and parched to death. Seven people are still missing today. They all probably drowned.

According to Maltese blogger and investigative journalist Manuel Delia, the MAE YEMANJA left Malta’s large port on April 14 without a clear destination. After it had sailed off, the crew switched off the radar and only switched it on again the following day in Libya.

The fishing boat is registered in Malta, and the owner is Carmelo Grech, a well-known Maltese businessman with a dubious past. In a smuggling trial he was recently acquitted of all charges, despite incriminating evidence. In 2015, he was seized with 300,000 euros in cash in Libya, which led to a detailed investigation, which, however, miraculously fizzled out. Maltese investigative journalist Daphne Capuana Galizia, who was murdered by a car bomb on October 16, 2017, also researched Grech’s wide-ranging business interests.

Officially, it is said that Grech recently sold the MAE YEMANJA to a Libyan company. A corporation however, that can again be traced back to the Maltese entrepreneur. It is also claimed that the MAE YEMANJA was only dispatched to provide the refugees with water and food.

Unofficially, suspicion arises that Malta is sending small, private ships to bring refugees back to Libya so as to get rid of a problem – all against applicable law. Such dubious missions take people back to detention camps where ill-treatment, rape and torture are daily occurences.

It is still unclear whether the MAE YEMANJA ship owner has been paid by the state for his dubious rescue.

“It should send cold shivers down our spines in Germany when the Maltese Prime Minister Robert Abela comments on the death of up to 12 people with his ‘clear conscience’ and says that he acted in accordance with ‘national interest’,” says Gorden Isler, Chairman of Sea-Eye e. V.

“If the death of these people was in Malta’s interest, then we are no longer just talking about failure to render assistance resulting in loss of life. We find it worrying and disturbing that there is no criticism from Germany regarding Malta’s actions, ”continues Isler.

Criminal charges have been pressed against the Maltese government and Prime Minister Robert Abela. The judiciary has launched an investigation against him and army chief Jeffrey Curmi. In addition to this incident, there is also the allegation that the crew of a patrol boat destroyed the engine of a refugee boat and left the people to their fate.

(Martin Geiger)

Sources: Times of Malta, alarmphone.org, avvenire.it
Symbolic photo: Fabian Heinz / Sea-Eye (June 2019)

Odyssey of the ALAN KURDI rescue ship ends

Disembarkation© Cédric Fettouche & sea-eye.org

Red Cross evacuates 146 rescued people to Italian quarantine ship

  • Unprecedented solidarity for ALAN KURDI’s mission
  • German Federal Ministry of the Interior appealed to NGOs to stop rescue operations
  • ALAN KURDI crew to spend 14 days in quarantine

After an almost two-week blockade, the odyssey of the German rescue ship ALAN KURDI ended on Friday, close to the port of Palermo. Already on Easter Sunday, the Italian Minister of Transport Paola De Micheli and the head of Civil Protection Angelo Borelli proposed to transfer the rescued people on board the German rescue ship onto a larger, more suitable ship , where they could be quarantined and also receive proper care in a safe environment. Finally, on Thursday evening, the Italian and German authorities confirmed the proposition’s concrete implementation for Friday morning.

“The situation on the ALAN KURDI has been unbearable for days. We are infinitely relieved that this blockade is finally over,” said Jan Ribbeck, Head of Operations for Sea-Eye.

Red Cross evacuates 146 rescued people to Italian quarantine ship

Under the coordination of the Italian Red Cross, the evacuation of 146 rescued people onto the Italian passenger ship RAFFAELE RUBATTINO began on Friday afternoon. Several ships of the Italian coast guard, including the DICIOTTI, were involved in the transfer of people to the RAFFAELE RUBATTINO.

Disembarkation

On the Italian ferry, people are now to be quarantined for another 14 days. So far, it is still unclear how it will go on for the people afterwards. Italy has temporarily closed its ports for the disembarkation of people rescued from distress at sea, due to the general health emergency. To date, the authorities have not published any plans about a port of disembarkation and the distribution of refugees.

“It is now very important to think about the rescued people on the Spanish ship AITA MARI. About 40 people are still waiting for a humanitarian solution on this ship as well,” said Gorden Isler, Chairman of Sea-Eye.

Unprecedented solidarity for ALAN KURDI’s mission

During the blockade, Sea-Eye and the ALAN KURDI experienced unprecedented solidarity, particularly in Italy. After a letter from Luca Casarini, the Italian sea rescuer, to Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic church, replied and unequivocally stood behind all civilian sea rescuers. However, the commitment of the Mayor of Palermo deserves special mention. Leoluca Orlando was in frequent contact with Head of Operations Jan Ribbeck and asked about the people on the ALAN KURDI every day.

“It can be said that Leoluca Orlando was an important advocate for the human rights of the rescued people and also our crew on the ALAN KURDI. His commitment was essential for the end of this blockade,” said Sea-Eye’s Head of Operations Jan Ribbeck.

But the sea rescuers from Mediterranea and Sea-Watch-Italy also appealed to the government in Rome. They campaigned for civil sea rescue operations to continue and for the ships ALAN KURDI and AITA MARI to be assigned ports of safety. Such a solution is still not in sight for the AITA MARI.

Federal Interior Ministry appealed to NGOs to stop rescue operations

During the rescue 11 days ago, a letter from the German Federal Ministry of the Interior had reached operations management. It called on German civil sea rescue organizations to cease operations and, if necessary, to recall all ships because of the lack of ports of disembarkation in the central Mediterranean. At this point, the ALAN KURDI had already successfully saved 150 lives.

“You cannot ask us to stop saving lives, while simultaneously, the same politicians in Germany are demanding that everything humanly possible be done to save as many lives as possible,” said Gorden Isler, Chairman of Sea-Eye.

ALAN KURDI crew to spend 14 days in quarantine at anchor

The ALAN KURDI crew is now also facing a 14-day quarantine. The ship shall be anchored off Palermo. The next planned Sea-Eye rescue mission falls victim to these circumstances. However, the corona crisis did not only lead to operational problems. Like many NGOs, Sea-Eye recorded a substantial decrease in donations.

“We want to do everything we can to start a rescue operation in May. Letting people drown because of the Corona crisis is just as bad a reason as any other reason that has been claimed in this debate,” said Gorden Isler, chairman of Sea-Eye.

Attempted suicide aboard the ALAN KURDI after ten days of blockade

Rescued person on the ALAN KURDI

Despair and hopelessness among the rescued people increase dramatically

  • Attempted suicide aboard the ALAN KURDI
  • Captain asks the Italian coast guard to evacuate several people
  • Difficult medical evacuation at night
  • Blockade continues despite Italy’s proposed solution

In the early morning hours of Wednesday, a 24-year-old man attempted suicide aboard the ALAN KURDI. In her medical report, the ship’s doctor took note of severe state of anxiety, experiences of violence in a Libyan prison and a conflict-ridden relationship with other rescued people on board. The man’s despair had become so unbearable that he saw no other way out for himself than to escape the situation by suicide.

“The patient is a danger to himself and others. We are certain that the condition will deteriorate further,” said the ship’s doctor Dr. Caterina Ciufegni in her medical report to the Italian coast guard.

The despair and hopelessness of some people has reached an unprecedented level. Another young man is so stressed, that he has been resorting to self-injuring more and more for days. Captain Bärbel Beuse asked for the evacuation of three people on Wednesday afternoon. The Italian Coast Guard’s response was prompt. An officer of the MRCC ROM informed the captain via radio of the coordinates for a meeting point with a coast guard ship.

“We are happy and grateful that Rome assessed the danger for the people who had been saved and us, as well and immediately sent a ship,” said Captain Bärbel Beuse.

The evacuation was very difficult. The three boats of the Italian coast guard could hardly get closer without causing dramatic scenes on the ALAN KURDI.

“The people are totally desperate and have been held on the ALAN KURDI for 10 days. They indicated they wanted to jump into the water to reach the Italian boats. They almost couldn’t be calmed down,” said Jan Ribbeck, manager of operations at Sea-Eye.

The Italian coast guard apparently expected such difficulties because it sent several boats for three people to be evacuated. The coast guard seem to be completely aware of the difficult situation on the ALAN KURDI. After two hours, the evacuation of three people was finally completed.

A solution proposed by the Italian Minister of Transport has been on the table since Sunday. The people on the ALAN KURDI are to be evacuated to a larger ship in order to be more properly cared for and put in quarantine. Three more days have passed since then. No concrete information about the place and time of the evacuation was received to date, from neither Rome nor Berlin.

“The Italian authorities are still preparing a ship onto which the 149 people can be transferred,” said the Federal Foreign Office on Wednesday evening to the Sea-Eye operations management.

However, no information could be given about the exact time.

The ports of Italy, Malta and Libya are closed. 146 people on the ALAN KURDI and 43 people on the Spanish rescue ship AITA MARI continue to be denied a port of safety. No maritime rescue coordination center took responsibility for several distress emergencies on Easter weekend. Instead of looking for 85 missing people, Malta and Italy simply denied their existence.

“The relentless treatment of refugees currently seems to be political consensus at all EU borders. Letting people drown in the Mediterranean is not a new phenomenon and can therefore not be justified with Corona alone. “The increased brutality against refugees and the new ruthlessness against rescue organizations can only be explained by assuming that it shall act as a deterrent. Solidarity among the EU member states towards Italy and Malta is long overdue,” said Gorden Isler, Chairman of Sea-Eye e. V.

Dozens Suspected Drowned At Sea

ALAN KURDI

Nobody feels responsible for rescuing people

  • The situation on the ALAN KURDI remains tense
  • Our on-board doctor documents clear signs of torture
  • A proposed solution for the ALAN KURDI is currently being discussed

Dramatic scenes took place on Easter Sunday in the central Mediterranean. While the ALAN KURDI remains blocked off the coast of Sicily, cases of distress at sea increased over the Easter weekend, while nobody took responsibility. Malta did not initiate any rescue operations, even for emergencies that were clearly reported in the Maltese search and rescue zone. The so-called Libyan coast guard has also stopped all rescue efforts, citing a lack of protective masks available as the reason, as Spiegel Online reported. It is feared that dozens of people have already drowned this Easter weekend, and more people still in distress.

Meanwhile, 149 rescued people had to spend their eighth night on the ALAN KURDI. People have to sleep on deck in a confined space and share two toilets and a shower. In conversation with our human rights observer, some of the rescued people reported being tortured in Libya. Our on-board doctor documented scars and burns. One person’s fingers were broken.

The Italian Minister of Transport and the head of Civil Protection made the proposal to transfer the refugees to a larger Italian ship in order to carry out a quarantine. The German Federal Foreign Office confirms that this could be a serious solution.

Supply of relief goods

The Italian coast guard has already supported ALAN KURDI twice with a supply of relief goods. Leoluca Orlando, the mayor of Palermo, is in close contact with our operations manager Jan Ribbeck. Orlando fights for the rescued and the crew of the ALAN KURDI.

“Everyone has the right to health,” Orlando told the Italian press.

The third rescue mission of the year was supposed start on Easter weekend. Unfortunately, the mission had to be canceled. The blockade seriously affects Sea-Eye, in addition to the Coronavirus-related severe decrease in donations. Each additional day costs around € 2,500. The days, when saving lives led to public attention and donations, are long gone. Therefore, we ask for your support.

Easter Sunday: Still No Protection for 149 People After 7 Days

Refugees waiting for a safe port© Cédric Fettouche & sea-eye.org

During a dramatic rescue operation, the ALAN KURDI crew saved 68 lives last Monday. A second rescue operation with 82 people rescued followed a few hours later.

Our only request to the 27 EU member states with 447 million inhabitants was to give these 150 people security and peace.

So far, only Italy has sent aid. We received food and one person was evacuated by the Italian coast guard. Some of the rescued people show clear physical signs of torture from time spent in the civil war-torn country of Libya.

Anna, first officer of ALAN KURDI, and Josefin, part of our medical team, report from the ship.

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ALAN KURDI receives neither food nor medicine

Evacuation by the Italian coast guard

Italian coast guard evacuates one person during the night of Good Friday

  • ALAN KURDI does not receive any food, medicine or fuel from Italy
  • Italian coast guard evacuates a person from board off the coast of Lampedusa
  • Italy, Malta and Libya describe their own ports as unsafe
  • German maritime rescue coordination centre overwhelmed with coordination
  • ALAN KURDI is looking for shelter in the northwest of Sicily due to weather

It took the Italian rescue directing centre MRCC ROME about one day to refuse ALAN KURDI-Captain Bärbel Beuse’s request for food, medicine and fuel. The required vessels for this transport would not be available on the islands of Lampedusa and Linosa. Italy referred to Malta. The Maltese rescue coordination centre reacted promptly: “Do not try to push this onto Malta.” Thus, the rescue directing centre in Valletta made clear that Malta is also not willing to help.

The situation on board of the ALAN KURDI is getting more tense, as the rescue ship is not suitable for the indefinite accommodation of 150 people. During the night, Captain Bärbel Beuse insisted and repeated her requests for the most urgent needs:

“We have to stress that the ship requires food in the next 48 hours.”

In the meantime, Libya, just as Italy and Malta, declared its own ports as unsafe for the disembarkation and care for people rescued from distress at sea. Currently, Libya is forbidding a ship of the so-called Libyan Coast Guard with 280 people to run into a Libyan port. The Libyan Coast Guard declared in the meantime that it could not conduct any further rescues since no face masks were available. Vincent Cochetel, special envoy of the United Nations, states to Spiegel Online that the people smugglers could exploit this situation and lie to fleeing people if necessary. In fact, over the last few days, fleeing people reached the Italian island Lampedusa in several boats under great danger. How many boats disappeared on the Mediterranean and how many people drowned is unknown.

“It is not acceptable that we see multi-million rescue packages for the European industry, but at the same time, it’s claimed that there are no resources for the protection of migrants”, states Gorden Isler, chairman of Sea-Eye e.V. “Europe has thus allowed a situation to happen where humanitarian catastrophes compete and are played off against each other”, Isler states further.

The German maritime rescue coordination centre in Bremen stated in the night of Good Friday that it is overwhelmed with the coordination of the German ship’s situation.

The MRCC Bremen wrote to their colleagues in Rome: “I am fully aware of the brisance of the actual situation but MRCC Bremen is not able to respond as you expect or hope for.”

Friday noon, the ALAN KURDI set course towards a position northwest of Sicily to seek shelter from approaching heavy weather. Sea-Eye informed German authorities of this decision in the morning already.

ALAN KURDI Rescues 150 People From Two Wooden Boats In One Day

Lifeboat off the ALAN KURDI

Italian supply vessel refuses to rescue 82 persons

  • ALAN KURDI saves 68 people on Monday morning
  • Libyan militia endanger rescue and fires shots
  • further rescue of 82 people on Monday afternoon
  • Italian offshore utility ASSO VENTINOVE refuses rescue
  • Federal Ministry of the Interior asks sea rescue organisations to stop their work

On Monday morning, the crew of the ALAN KURDI rescued 68 people from an overcrowded wooden boat in international water off of Libya’s coast. The distress call had been logged by Alarm Phone and was immediately forwarded to the responsible authorities by Captain Bärbel Beuse. During the rescue, a Libyan-flagged speedboat endangered the work of Sea-Eye’s rescue crew. After shots were fired in the air, approximately half of the people on the wooden boat jumped into the water in panic without lifejackets and tried to swim towards the ALAN KURDI. The rescue boat crew deployed life saving appliances and a so-called CentiFloat to save the people from drowning.

“When I heard the Libyan gunfire, I was very concerned about my crew and the refugees,” says Stefan Schütz, head of mission aboard the ALAN KURDI.

After the situation calmed and the Libyans started to back off, all the people in distress were supplied with lifejackets and taken on board the ALAN KURDI.

Already during this first rescue, Alarm Phone received a second distress call north of the ALAN KURDI’s position. While the Italian offshore-supplier ASSO VENTINOVE had reached this second emergency several hours before the ALAN KURDI, it did not commence any rescue efforts. Due to its size the Italian supply ship would have been significantly better suited to rescue the 82 persons, among them one pregnant women, from the wooden boat. By reasoning that they had to stay put, so as to be able to assist the oil rigs close-by, in case of a possible accident there, the ASSO VENTINOVE refused to rescue and denied responsibility for coordination. Hence, the ALAN KURDI also evacuated the second boat and is now looking for a port of safety, with a total of 150 rescued people on board.

Through a verbal note, Italian and Maltese ministries have made it clear to the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs, that they would not consent to a disembarkation, even if the distribution of the rescued persons would be arranged. As justification, the two states cited the public health emergencies in their own countries. During the second rescue efforts, the German Federal Interior Ministry approached Sea-Eye and other rescue organizations with the following request:

“In light of the current difficult situation, we call on you to not undertake any journeys at this time and to call back any already deployed ships”.

At this point, the ALAN KURDI had already been underway for seven days and was evacuating the second overcrowded wooden boat.

„Every human life is valuable. We are sure, that the German Federal Foreign Minister will succeed in taking on additional responsibility for 150 people. After all, Germany is our flag state. During the past few days, the Federal Government has successfully repatriated 200.000 of its own citizens from abroad in an immense effort. It must be imaginable and humanly possible to send an aircraft for 150 safety-seeking people to Southern Europe in order to immediately evacuate these people. In Germany, there are approximately 150 cities in the Coalition of Safe Ports who declared their readiness to receive people on the move”, states Gorden Isler, chairman of Sea-Eye e. V.

Shots Fired By Libyan Militia In The Midst Of ALAN KURDI Rescue Operation

Erschöpfte Geflüchtete an Bord der ALAN KURDI© sea-eye.org

Sea-Eye rescue ship saves 68 people in international
waters off Libyan coast

  • ALAN KURDI saved 68 people
  • Libyan militia hinders rescue operation and fires
    shots
  • People desperately jumped into the water
  • ALAN KURDI on the way to a second
    boat in distress

On Monday morning, the ALAN KURDI crew received an emergency call via the NGO Alarm Phone. Captain Bärbel Beuse informed the responsible authorities and set course for the coordinates transmitted by Alarm Phone. An hour later ALAN KURDI reached the position. Upon arrival the crew found a wooden boat with a total of 68 people. None of the people had a life jacket.

While the crew of the ALAN KURDI launched their first rescue boat, a Libyan-flagged speedboat approached at high speed. The shots fired and risky maneuvers by the Libyans quickly led to a life-threatening escalation of the situation. Around half of the people from the overcrowded wooden boat jumped into the water and tried to reach the ALAN KURDI on their own.

“When I heard the Libyan gunfire, I was very concerned about my crew and the refugees,” says Stefan Schütz, head of mission aboard the ALAN KURDI.

The rescue boat crews quickly dispatched lifesaving appliances to the water to prevent people from drowning.

The captain informed the German authorities
of the Libyan threat. After a short time things calmed down and the Libyans
finally allowed the rescue of people in the water, the supply of people with
life jackets on the wooden boat and the subsequent evacuation of the refugees remaining in
the wooden boat. All of the 68 people
were saved. The Libyans immediately abstracted the wooden boat and disappeared.
Some of the rescued people are in shock or are hypothermic and are therefore receiving medical
care. The vast majority of those saved said they are from
Bangladesh, a few are from Syria, Chad or Sudan. 20 people
state that they are minors.

“With their behavior, the Libyans risked the drowning of many people. While the EU member states pay money to so-called Libyan coast guards, our crew is once again hindered and threatened while saving lives,” said Gorden Isler, Chairman of Sea-Eye e. V.

The ALAN KURDI was also notified of another distress case. The ship is already on its way there.