The Italian Ministry of Transport has been detaining our rescue ship ALAN KURDI in the port of Palermo for over two weeks. The rescue ship AITA MARI of the Spanish organization Salvamento Marítimo Humanitario (SMH) was also detained in the same port. At the same time, people are still dying in the Mediterranean Sea, while seeking a place of safety.
The Italian coast guard justified detaining the rescue ships citing safety concerns. Our German flag state strongly opposed this assessment and determined that there were no such serious security deficiencies.
Italy is taking decisive action against civil rescue ships, thereby preventing our humanitarian work. This will gravely endanger our planned mission in June.
“Every day that rescue ships are hindered from doing their jobs, there is a risk that human lives will be lost at sea,” said Sea-Eye Chairman Gorden Isler.
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No rescue ship deployed in the Mediterranean at the moment
Rescue ship ALAN KURDI detained in Palermo for the time being
Grotesque arguments of Italian authorities
German authorities see no reason for the detention
On Tuesday evening, our rescue ship ALAN KURDI was detained in the port of Palermo. Italian officials gave as reasons that the ship had defects that would affect safety on board. Before its last mission, however, the ship underwent a five-week shipyard time which ended in March. There, the ship had been given a complete overhaul in many areas.
Grotesque arguments of Italian authorities
“Detaining our ship is pure harassment to grind civil sea rescue efforts to a halt bit-by-bit. The ALAN KURDI has just left the shipyard and has been completely overhauled. This blockade’s only goal is to actively stop us from rescuing at sea. Instead of protecting human rights, those who do it are held up at every corner”, states spokesperson Julian Pahlke.
We have already contacted German authorities to work towards ending the blockade.
“The reasoning of Italian authorities that they are concerned about the safety of the crew and the rescued seems grotesque. If they had really been concerned about the safety of the rescued, then they should not have blockaded them for 12 days on board of the ALAN KURDI before”, states Gorden Isler, chairman of Sea-Eye e. V.
Similar to the ALAN KURDI a few weeks ago, the merchant ship MV MARINA of a shipping company from Hamburg is being blocked off Lampedusa, because it rescued 78 people. The shipping company refers to the people’s dire situation and has so far not received any support.
“The politically-motivated abuse of official authority by the Italian coast guard is preventing our planned mission in May. That is irresponsible”, states Isler further.
German authorities see no reason for the detention
Sea-Eye is in contact with German authorities, who are also trying to clarify the situation quickly. A reason to officially detain the ALAN KURDI was not confirmed by the German authorities to Sea-Eye on Wednesday.
The ALAN KURDI had rescued 150 people from distress at sea on 6 April and then had to wait 12 days for a political solution before the remaining 146 people were brought to safety. Before that, four people had to be evacuated for medical reasons. On Monday, after 16 more days of quarantine, the ship finally entered the port of Palermo, where it was detained today.
https://sea-eye.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/ALAN-KURDI_Palermo-2_Mai-2020_c_Cédric-Fettouche-sea-eye.org_.jpeg17072560Sea-Eyehttps://sea-eye.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/SEAEYE-logo_regular_300x300.pngSea-Eye2020-05-06 18:27:002020-05-06 19:47:49Harassment of rescue ship ALAN KURDI prevents next mission
Quarantine ship RAFFAELE RUBATTINO also moored on Monday morning
Odyssey of the ALAN KURDI ends after 36 days at sea
Crew is tested for COVID-19
The most laborious mission for the Regensburg sea rescuers so far
Quarantine ship RAFFAELE RUBATTINO docks in Palermo
Distribution of people saved remains unclear
The odyssey of the ALAN KURDI ended Monday morning in the port of Palermo. A 14-day quarantine was previously ordered for the crew, which had to be completed in the Bay of Palermo. The 17 crew members now spent a total of 36 days at sea.
Crew is tested for COVID-19
Upon arrival at the port of Palermo, the crew underwent COVID-19 testing. The crew must not leave the ship until the test results are available. The crew will then thoroughly clean the entire ship. An Italian company will then disinfect the ALAN KURDI according to official instructions. The Sea-Eye crew management will then support each of the crew members individually with regards to the return to their home countries of Germany, France, Spain and Austria.
The most laborious mission for the Regensburg sea rescuers so far
The mission lasted a total of 8 weeks. It is the most complex and laborious operation that the Regensburg sea rescuers have carried out so far.
“The ALAN KURDI has never had so many people on board for so long. No crew had to take care of more people and we never had to use so many resources for a mission. These are sad records,” says Gorden Isler, Chairman of Sea-Eye e. V.
Sea-Eye received support from the United 4 Rescue Alliance (founded by the Evangelical Church in Germany), which paid for the high costs caused by the long blockade. The Endowment Fund for Civil Sea Rescue, initiated by Jan Böhmermann and Klaas Heufer-Umlauf, will also help Sea-Eye to ensure the next mission of the ALAN KURDI.
“The solidarity with our crew and the people saved was incredible. We are grateful for that. This is the only way for civilian actors to master the demanding task of sea rescue,” adds Isler.
Quarantine ship RAFFAELE RUBATTINO docks in Palermo
The Spanish rescue ship AITA MARI and the Italian ferry RAFFAELE RUBATTINO, on which the rescued people of both ships were cared for by the Italian Red Cross, were also allowed to moor on Monday morning.
Distribution of people saved remains unclear
How things will continue for the people rescued by the ALAN KURDI still remains unclear. The Federal Minister of the Interior announced on Sunday that so far, only Germany has agreed to take in refugees.
“It’s hard to imagine that European interior ministers will have to discuss and negotiate over 150 individual fates. First the BMI asked us to stop the rescues, now negotiations have to be held again at a European level, for a mere 150 people. In Germany there are 150 cities that are ready to offer their help and take people in. The simple question of distributing the rescued people is being unnecessarily politically exaggerated and exploited yet again,” said Julian Pahlke, spokesman for Sea-Eye e. V.
https://sea-eye.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/alan-kurdi_c_fabian-heinz-1565364290.jpg10331550Sea-Eyehttps://sea-eye.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/SEAEYE-logo_regular_300x300.pngSea-Eye2020-05-04 13:18:232020-05-20 16:22:41ALAN KURDI docks in Palermo after quarantine
Interview with Stephen, human rights observer on board the ALAN KURDI
Human rights observer aboard the ALAN KURDI. What does this job entail?
The human rights observer has essentially multiple tasks. The first task is normal shift operations: being on guard duty, cooking food, all those tasks on board that all crew members do.
During a rescue, the human rights observer documents the operation. Every detail is kept in minutes: When was which e-mail sent to the authorities, who communicated what via radio? This serves the documentation of the events, should any judicial conflicts arise for whatever reasons. Where the rescue happened and how many persons were rescued needs to be precisely recorded.
For this, we make photos and audio recordings and supplement them with our notes. As indicated by the title of the human rights observer, I put special emphasis on the human rights situation. Especially when Libyan boats show up to the location of the rescue, this can be decisive. How to the different actors behave, do all adhere to the applicable laws? This can also concern the own crew.
The third task consists of collecting information about the human rights situation on the flight routes and in the countries of origin. For this, I conduct interviews and ask the people what happened to them and about their reasons for fleeing. Sometimes, the medical team makes me aware of clear signs of torture. If the person expresses the need to document their experiences and to have a conversation, I offer an interview and try to learn what happened.
These human rights violations must be documented and finally made public.
How do you cope with these experiences personally?
As long as I am on board of the ALAN KURDI, there is no proper processing happening for me, I am not that far yet. For the time after the mission I have my own techniques that I developed in similar positions, for example in Ghana. Among them are music, sports and meditation to process these things.
Other organisations such as Repubblika document sometimes unimaginably cruel torture inflicted upon refugees. What do the guests tell you?
The stories I am told almost always start in the moment when people leave their country. They tell of arbitrary arrests, corruption, of human trafficking. But the focus of their escape stories lies mostly on Libya and the detention camps there. On this mission, I have heard a lot about forced labour, torture and human trafficking. Many were threatened in order to extort money from them and their families. Almost everyone mentions this. In addition, there are stories about human rights abuses they witnessed, how people were randomly shot or left in the desert. Some report sexual violence – basically, the entire range of human rights abuses one can imagine. All of this, people recounted in these interviews. Due to the tense situation on board, I had little time for these interviews. But what I heard was more than enough.
When hearing of all these cruelties and having to document then, how sensitively do you react to the argument, that the people are to be sent back to Libya?
This is indeed an argumentation that drives me furious. Most fleeing people do not originally come from Libya but have fled via Libya. Some had migrated to Libya for work. With the intensification of the conflict in Libya, the return route to their home countries is severed. Some have raised a lot of money for their flight and then experienced horrors.
Many have boarded a seaworthy boat with the certainty that this journey can lead to death. And they were forced to do it anyway, because the situation in Libya is unbearable.
The pushbacks conducted by Malta make me speechless. There is no argument that speaks in favour for returning these people to Libya. These people flee from violence, exploitation and torture. Some say they would rather die than return to Libya. Yes, it is true, I do react sensitively.
What do you think awaits refugees in Libya?
That is indeed hard to say in the times of Corona. Because also Libyan ports are barred, and refugees were returned on the behest of Malta by third parties, not by Libya’s own coast guard or Libyan militias. But I could reconstruct from the interviews that people are imprisoned again and brought back to the detention camps, from where they can only escape, if they raise very high amounts of money. Or they remain there for a very long time.
Sea rescues in the times of corona. What would be your solution?
Corona is not an argument to stop sea rescues. After all, people are also rescued from drowning in a public swimming lake without asking beforehand whether they are maybe infected with COVID-19. At the moment, it is made infinitely difficult for us to save lives. This will probably not change anytime soon. It is likely that rescued people will be, like in our current mission, provisionally moved onto ferries and distributed to different countries after a quarantine. The crews of rescue ships also need to go into a 14-day quarantine after a mission. Sea rescues are slowed down, they are made more difficult, but not yet impossible. Even though it was unnecessary that we were confined again for 14 days. We were already isolated for 12 days with the refugees at sea. All corona-tests of our guests had been already assessed as negatives on the quarantine ship. In addition, we had been already 11 days isolated at sea beforehand with refugees on board.
14 days quarantine, 14 days inactivity. What is the first thing you do when this period is over?
That is a good question. First, I have to find a way back to Germany, which will not be that easy during these times.
Is there a return for you to the ALAN KURDI?
Definitely. It was the first mission for me, and I did not know exactly what I was in for. Of course there were moments of tension, but an amazing crew made it worth it.
(Interview: Martin Geiger)
https://sea-eye.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Stephen_Menschenrechtsbeobachter_April-2020_c_Cédric-Fettouche-sea-eye.org_-scaled.jpg17072560Sea-Eyehttps://sea-eye.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/SEAEYE-logo_regular_300x300.pngSea-Eye2020-05-03 20:33:262020-05-15 17:29:45There is no argument in favour of returning people to Libya
Whenever I think of you, the old german nursery rhyme comes to my mind: “We anchored off Madagascar and had the plague on board”. Are there parallels?
I have to think more of Berthold Brecht “(…) a ship with eight sails and fifty cannons will be berthed at the quay”. But in all seriousness: I am annoyed at the moment and personally, I think the measures are unnecessary, because I am fairly sure that we do not actually have the plague or Corona on board.
But nerves are still on edge?
Yes, we just do not know what is going to happen. Instructions sometimes change day-by-day.
Is it then even possible for a Captain, who is bearing the responsibility after all, to sleep at night?
Well. Now again, yes. When the guests were on board, it was indeed very, very tough. But once the situation was solved and they were handed over to the Italian Red Cross, the tensions fell. Now, there is only the crew on board, and it functions great.
Is it very painful to be condemned to inactivity now?
When I read that boats with refugees left from Libya again and no one is being saved, then the rage is coming of course. While we are sentenced to doing nothing here, people are drowning there. An unbearable situation.
Suppose you had three free wishes when it comes to sea rescues – what would they be?
Greater support from the governments for civil sea rescues, functioning official sea rescue efforts, that handle the majority of this job, and a point of access where people can be brought – regardless of whether they were saved by civil organisations, commercial ships or indeed by official forces. This undignified haggling, this situation here on board until the distribution is finally decided, is tough to endure.
The psychological toll is surely immense, how do you deal with it?
We have extensive debriefs and spoke a lot with each other. As long as the rescue is ongoing and the people are on board, we are of course totally tense. We work almost around the clock and the few minutes in between are used for sleep. There is not much time to think. But from the moment that the refugees are off the boat, we start processing things. For this, we were given professional help from Sea-Eye. This time, unfortunately, only via video conference.
What comes next after the quarantine?
The quarantine is technically over today (Saturday). But it is the weekend here, and we can only get into the harbour if someone is there to do the Coronavirus test with us. And this after we have spent 14 days cut-off from the outside world on board. If they then find out that we do not have Corona – which, by the way, takes again 24 hours until the results are in – we can start disinfecting the ship, that takes another 48 hours. And when this is done, we are looking for a port where the ALAN KURDI can be handed over to the next crew.
Whether we then have to go again into quarantine in Germany is not entirely clear yet. Probably this will differ from state to state.
Are you at all afraid of Corona?
No. The likelihood that we were infected with Corona is extremely low. Seafaring is among the ten deadliest jobs in the world, so I am much more afraid of other things. The danger, for example, that I will suffer a stroke on board is much greater. And that we could not treat on board with our means.
What is the first thing you do once you are back at home?
Calling a shipping company to tell them that I can start my new job. Through the quarantine and this whole situation, my vacation has decreased to zero. From next week, even into the negative.
Very professional. Is there a return for you to the ALAN KURDI?
I can definitely imagine that, yes. I am now for the second time already on a sea rescue mission and also this situation cannot faze me.
What personal protection mechanisms do you have that the images do not follow you in your dreams?
On the first mission, the Libyans’ move to point guns at us, to shoot into the air did impress me a lot. This time not so much anymore. I thought: They shot into the air the last time, and if we show cojones (balls) now, we will make progress.
With this in mind, let us show that. Thank you so much for the talk!
(Interview: Martin Geiger)
https://sea-eye.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Kapitänin_Bärbel_April-2020_c_Cédric-Fettouche-sea-eye.org_.jpeg17072560Sea-Eyehttps://sea-eye.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/SEAEYE-logo_regular_300x300.pngSea-Eye2020-05-02 19:22:262020-05-04 13:49:30If we show strength, we will make progress