Sea rescuers from MOAS return to the Mediterranean with the SEA-EYE 4

The aid organizations Sea-Eye and MOAS have agreed to a close collaboration aboard the SEA-EYE 4 with the aim of carrying out search and rescue missions in the central Mediterranean Sea. The SEA-EYE 4 is a 48 year old offshore supply vessel (built in 1972, 55 m long, 11 m wide). Sea-Eye acquired the ship with significant support of the United4Rescue alliance and is currently converting it into a rescue ship.

The common goal of both organizations is to conduct joint operations to save more lives together and to raise awareness for the people who continue to die in the Mediterranean as a result of the EU’s isolationist policy.

“We firmly believe that nobody deserves to die at sea in search of safety, that’s why we founded MOAS in 2013: to save lives. We are very happy about this partnership with Sea-Eye, to share our knowledge and expertise on SAR operations.
Between 2014 and 2017, with our missions in the Mediterranean and Aegean Sea, MOAS rescued more than 40,000 people. Now, together with our partners, we want to rescue as many people at risk as possible. Civil society strongly believes that the implementation of #SafeAndLegalRoutes of migration is important to avoid further deaths at sea,” says Regina Catrambone, Director of MOAS.

“We are proud to bring the MOAS sea rescuers back into action on our ship. This is a milestone for Sea-Eye. Our operational cooperation has one main goal: to save more lives together. Between 2016 and 2017, the Sea-Eye and MOAS crews had met during a rescue mission. Now we are working jointly aboard the SEA-EYE 4,” says Gorden Isler, Chairman of Sea-Eye e. V.

Since 2014 MOAS was the first aid organization to actively conduct rescue operations in the central Mediterranean with the objective of saving people from drowning. The joint missions with the SEA-EYE 4 are planned to start in February 2021. The operational schedules for the missions will be devised together in the coming weeks. MOAS will support Sea-Eye with professional staff, joint search and rescue training, strategic expertise and an international donation campaign.

This year, the Covid19 pandemic in particular has worsened the situation for people who are fleeing and seeking protection, as many countries closed their borders. Mediterranean countries such as Malta, Italy, Greece and Spain continue to be left alone by other EU member states when it comes to accommodating refugees. Germany was painfully slow to meet its commitments to accept refugees in 2020. The German minister of transport and the German minister of the interior even tried to prevent German civil sea rescue ships from continuing operations. State level sea rescue efforts are still not in sight. Of all the people who drowned this year in the Mediterranean Sea, more than 700 people drowned in the Central part of the Mediterranean alone.

“We are resuming SAR operations with the intent of saving as many lives as possible of those seeking protection from war, torture and famine on board of unseaworthy boats. Although we cannot put an end to the instability and ongoing conflicts which force people to leave their countries, we do have a chance to reduce the number of deaths at sea by providing assistance to those who, in their desperation, continue to attempt the Mediterranean crossing,” continues Regina Catrambone.

“The joint missions with the SEA-EYE 4 are planned to start in February 2021. The deployment plans for this will be devised together in the coming weeks,” says Jan Ribbeck, board member and manager of operations at Sea-Eye e. V.

German national partner of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) contributes to on-board hospital financing

Sea-Eye is in the largest project in its history and is now receiving support from the UNO-Flüchtlingshilfe, German partner of UNHCR. In September Sea-Eye signed the purchase agreement for its new rescue ship. The ship, which will be named GHALIB KURDI, is currently being converted for rescue purposes in the Mediterranean. Equipping a rescue ship of this size is a considerable task, for which the UNO-Flüchtlingshilfe is now supporting Sea-Eye with a grant of € 25,000.

With this contribution, UNO-Flüchtlingshilfe will help to set up and equip the GHALIB KURDI on-board hospital. In the event of an emergency, the rescued people urgently need medical care, because most of them sustained injuries, fell ill or suffered torture while fleeing. Pregnant women also venture the dangerous route across the Mediterranean in search of a safe place for their unborn child and need special care. The new on-board medical station will ensure the primary treatment of the rescued people and will also be prepared for possible corona cases on board.

“We are very grateful to the UNO-Flüchtlingshilfe for supporting the financing of this important project and will soon introduce a new medical cooperation partner with whom we want to face the growing challenges together,“ says Gorden Isler, Chairman of Sea-Eye e. V.

“Any discussion about whether people should be rescued from distress at sea is inadmissible. This is a self-evident necessity and our humanitarian obligation. The Sea-Eye team is providing this invaluable vital aid,“ says Peter Ruhenstroth-Bauer, Managing Director of the UNO-Flüchtlingshilfe, German partner of UNHCR.

Sea Eye’s new vessel GHALIB KURDI is currently being converted into a rescue ship and will support the future operations of ALAN KURDI in the Mediterranean. Sea-Eye intends to introduce GHALIB KURDI and the new partner organisations in November.

ALAN KURDI crew observed an illegal push-back

On September 19, the ALAN KURDI crew saw a speedboat approaching during their second rescue that day. It quickly became clear that it was the militias that operate under the name of the “Libyan Coast Guard” and force refugees back to Libya illegally and against their will.

The crew knew they had to hurry to evacuate the people. On board the ALAN KURDI, people would be better protected from the militia than on their small boat. Fortunately, there were only 24 people in the wooden boat in distress, and the crew were able to transfer them all to the ALAN KURDI swiftly, using their two rescue boats. Hence, protecting these people from being attacked by the militia and preventing them from being pushed-back to the civil war country.

When the speedboat approached our rescue ship, it became clear to the crew that it was the so-called Libyan coast guard. From a distance they could see that there were a great number of people on the boat. The so-called Libyan coast guard’s boat had previously picked up at least one group of refugees in order to forcibly return them to Libya.

We demand: No push-backs to Libya!

Amnesty reports forced disappearances

Amnesty International recently published a report that thousands of refugees who were picked up by the so-called Libyan Coast Guard and forced to return to Libya have disappeared without a trace.

The dehumanizing policy of the EU

Although the European Union is informed about the human rights situation in Libya, it has been funding the so-called Libyan Coast Guard for years, with the goal to forcibly intercept people seeking protection on their flight to Europe. This inhuman policy must stop immediately. We therefore demand that the European Union stop supporting the Libyan coast guard at once.

Libya is not a safe place – for anyone!

People freeze the whole day in cold and rain

As previously announced, the ALAN KURDI was allowed to enter the port of Olbia on Friday morning. But the Italian authorities refused to allow all of the rescued persons to disembark. All day long, the survivors kept waiting aboard ALAN KURDI, wrapped in blankets and freezing, while it was raining heavily and a cold wind was blowing over the harbor.

After the captain had insisted on a disembarkation for several hours, the authorities finally stated that the 125 rescued people could leave the ALAN KURDI and the first of them could disembark. At around 8:30 p.m., the Italian authorities stopped this process, although around half of the refugees were still on board the ship. The remaining people are supposed to stay on deck of the ALAN KURDI, sleeping outside in the cold and wind, until tomorrow morning.

“Italy shows its ugliest side here. On this ship, people who have fled a civil war country are waiting to be offered a warm place to sleep. Is that asking too much?“, asks Gorden Isler, Chairman of Sea-Eye e. V.

The rescued people have been enduring this ordeal with great patience all day.

It has already been announced to the crew of the ALAN KURDI, that they must undergo a 14-day quarantine, as was previously mandated for other rescue ships. The captain’s request to be allowed to continue sailing to Marseille after disembarkation was declined.

No Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre Assumes Responsibility

After the rescue of 133 people last Saturday (9/19/2020), no European maritime rescue coordination centre took over the coordinating role for the people rescued by the ALAN KURDI till Tuesday evening. Malta’s rescue coordination centre flat-out refused. The Italian rescue coordination centre referred to the German control centre in Bremen and from there the requests were forwarded to the German Ministry of Transport and the German Foreign Office.

On Tuesday morning, the Italian coast guard evacuated two women, one man, five children, the youngest child being only five months old. The communication for this evacuation took place exclusively verbally, via radio. Jan Ribbeck, head of operations and board member of Sea-Eye, criticizes the actions of the Italian and German authorities. On Tuesday evening, he wrote to the rescue coordination centre in Rome:

“The responsible JRCC in the Libyan SAR zone has not made contact with the vessel ALAN KURDI via email, VHF or telephone before or after the rescue. All the other authorities closest to the SAR zone have so far not agreed on a jurisdiction or responsibility despite repeated attempts and objections. The common duty to coordinate emergencies at sea does not end in silence and inactivity of the authorities. It continues to apply until the operation is completed with the transfer of the rescued people to a safe port. Due to the inactivity of the Italian and German authorities the master must now consequently head for our port of call for the fastest possible and safe supply and evacuation of the rescued people. But in order to avoid a long and stressfull crossing, we must request for an immediate disembarkation for all of rescued people within the next hours.“

Rescue ship ALAN KURDI sets course for France

„If the rescue coordination centre in Tripoli is incapacitated and cannot assume its responsibility, all other European maritime rescue coordination centres are responsible and obliged to cooperate, because after all, human lives are at stake,“ says Gorden Isler, Chairman of Sea-Eye.

On Tuesday evening, the civil sea rescue organization informed the maritime rescue coordination centres of Italy, Malta, Germany and France, as well as the German Foreign Office, of their intentions and repeated their request for a safe port. However, none of them replied.

Therefore, the ALAN KURDI set course for her port of call, its original port of destination, where the ship was scheduled to dock in order to carry out the crew change and prepare for its next mission. The French port of Marseille was also chosen because the organization’s volunteers can travel there more easily from Germany and it has already served as a suitable base for the rescue ship OCEAN VIKING.

“Of course, the port of call can also be a place of safety. The inaction of the Italian and German authorities forces us to take this step,” Isler continues.

The choice of a more distant port is nothing new. Starting in 1979, Rupert Neudeck of Cap Anamur brought over 10,000 Vietnamese refugees, the so-called “boat people”, to safety this way.

Another blockade off Italy unacceptable

Most recently, the Italian authorities had blocked the Spanish rescue ship OPEN ARMS off Sicily until dozens of people jumped off board in desperation, trying to swim ashore themselves.

“This is the kind of uncontrollable situation we don’t want to be brought into. We will not accept another blockade,” says Isler.

After consultation with the nautical crew, Isler considers the risks of the journey to be justifiable.

“As we will pass many ports off Sardinia, off Corsica and off the south of France, we will be able to ask for support everywhere,” so Isler.

Recently, the French government has regularly been involved in the distribution of people rescued from distress at sea.

“We do not know how the French government will react to our request for assistance. But we believe in the support of the French people and that they won’t let the ALAN KURDI be stranded off Marseille,” Isler continues.