Rescued people must wait days for disembarkation despite critical health conditions – Sea-Eye criticises Italy’s inhumane port policy

On Friday evening, the crew of the SEA-EYE 5 received an emergency call from the hotline for boatpeople in distress Alarm Phone. At around 3 a.m., after a long search in the dark, they were finally able to locate the wooden boat. By this time, water was already pouring into the overcrowded boat.

Early on Saturday morning, the crew of the rescue ship SEA-EYE 5 was able to rescue all 57 people in acute distress at sea and bring them safely on board. Those seeking protection had already been at sea for several days without food or water. Some of them were in urgent need of medical care and the situation on board was made even more difficult by poor weather conditions. Nevertheless, the Italian authorities assigned the distant Crotone as port of safety to the SEA-EYE 5.

“The medical situation after the night-time rescue was very critical. The 57 people had been travelling for days without food or water. Many were dehydrated, suffering from so-called fuel burns – chemical burns caused by a mixture of petrol and salt water – and extreme seasickness. Despite immediate treatment, their condition remained critical. From a medical point of view, the situation was life-threatening,” emphasises Dr Christin Linderkamp of German Doctors, who is in charge of medical care on the SEA-EYE 5.

Due to the critical situation on board, the crew twice requested the Italian authorities to assign a closer port of safety – both requests were rejected, however, and the people on board had to endure another 50 hours of crossing, during which they were unnecessarily exposed to further physical and mental strain. 

Yesterday morning, all 57 rescued persons were finally able to disembark safely in Crotone. However, this is not a happy ending, as Kai Echemeyer, deck manager of the current mission on the SEA-EYE 5 and member of the Sea-Eye board, emphasises:

“After an unnecessarily long and risky journey to a distant port, we were met with open aversion by Frontex and the coastguard upon our arrival. It is unbearable for us to see people who have just been rescued from drowning being met with mistrust and coldness in Europe. Even though we are grateful to have brought them to safety, we are left with the feeling of having to hand them over to a hostile environment. This treatment of people seeking protection is deeply inhumane.”

Sea-Eye once again criticises the practice of European authorities assigning civilian rescue ships to distant ports. These delays endanger the lives of those rescued and place an additional burden on crews and medical personnel.