ALAN KURDI docks in Palermo after quarantine

ALAN KURDI in the Mediterranean

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.

Crew of the ALAN KURDI in Palermo

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.

Quarantine ship: RAFFAELE RUBATTINO in Palermo

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.