LAST weekend saw an eventful couple of days in the Mediterranean waters off Maltas southern coast.
Over 140 people in two overcrowded rubber boats were saved by a coalition of civilian refugee rescue organisations within the island nations search-and-rescue (SAR) zone.
I initially set out to write up a short report on the weekends rescues. But after speaking on Sunday with Eike, an activist who witnessed the events from the skies, I realised that the situation was much more complicated.
In this, part one of two articles examining last weekends events, Eike tells us what happened on Friday. Well look at Saturday in part two.
He is a tactical co-ordinator for the Seabird, a reconnaissance aircraft operated from the Italian island of Lampedusa by German NGO Sea Watch.
On Friday, its crew spotted a boat carrying 40 people about 60 nautical miles to the south.
It was deep inside Maltas SAR zone,says Eike (pronounced how an American would say the sports brand Nikebut without the N).
We contacted the closest merchant vessel to the boat, which was the Vos Triton,he tells me.
The contact was positive. The Vos Triton agreed to change course towards the distress case. But when we tried to contact them again, they wouldnt answer the radio any more and headed back north, away from the distress case.
Well discuss the Vos Triton more in part two tomorrow but, sufficeto say now that the ship should not have abandoned its moral and international legal duty to help.
Eike tells me that the Seabird managed to contact another merchant vessel, the Asalet. This ship was really co-operative, he says, and agreed to look out for the distress case but unfortunately couldnt find the boat.
In the meantime,rescue ship the Open Arms operated by a Spanish NGO of the same name was heading towards the boats co-ordinates. However, so was someone else.
We were flying in the vicinity of the distress case when we suddenly saw the so-called Libyan Coastguard arriving in their patrol vessel, Fezzan. It was speeding at full steam, at about 30 knots, towards it,Eike says.
Many of the activists involved in the civilian refugee rescue effort in the central Mediterranean refer to Libyas coastguard with the prefix so-called, with the whole being abbreviated as scLCG.
They say that the Libyan Coastguard does not abide by the international law of the sea nor by international humanrights conventions, and that its only purpose is to conduct what are referred to as pullbacks intercepting refugees and forcibly returning them to the place that they were trying to escape. In legal terms, this is called refoulement.
It is not just the dedicated activists who say the people escaping Libya should not be sent back there. The International Organisation for Migration (IOM), an affiliate to the United Nations, has repeatedly warned that the country is not safe for migrants and that no-one should be returned to it.
The Libyan Coastguard which is funded, trainedand supported by the European Union intercepted and returned 11,891 people last year and 1,956 people so far in 2021, according to thelatest IOM estimates.
We checked back on the distress case,Eike continues, and we realised that the scLCG was heading directly towards one of the Open Arms rhibs.
Rigid-hulled inflatable boats (rhibs) are boats attached to a ship from which rescuers hand out life jackets, water, food, blankets, etc, to survivors before taking them to their ship.
When we approached, the scLCG was directly next to a rhib. My impression was that the scLCG was trying to block them.
The Fezzan then headed towards the other Open Arms rhib, passing really close by to it at high speed.
The rhib and the Fezzan stopped for a moment next to each other. I don't know if they exchanged communications between each other. I can only say that it looked intimidating.
I was really glad that we were on scene and to be another witness to this. You never know what can happen in such situations.
Indeed, in October 2019 and again in April last year, Libyan-flagged vessels fired bullets into the waters around NGO ship the Alan Kurdi as its crew were bringing refugees on board.
Fortunately, the Opens Armscrew eventually managed to bring all 40 people onto the ship, despite whatever it was that the Libyan Coastguard was trying to do.
It happened last night,Open Arms tweeted on Saturday morning above a picture of the survivors in life jackets on their crowded boat as a woman held up a baby.
Rafel and [her] three-month-old baby Moez were rescued together with 38 more people in a flimsy boat on the high seas.
It took many hours of search and encounters with a Libyan patrol boat, but it was worth it. Every life counts.
All of this, dont forget, was taking place within Maltas SAR zone. Its maritime authorities should have been in charge of co-ordinating the rescue, not activists. Its coastguard should have been out there, certainly not the Libyan Coastguard.
In response to the so-called refugee crisisin 2015, the EU launched a naval mission, which eventually became known as Operation Sophia, to disrupt the human-trafficking networks off the Libyan coast. It saved tens of thousands of lives.
In 2019, however, the EU pulled its ships from the central Mediterranean, pumped more money to the Libyan Coastguard and left only European Border and Coastguard Agency (Frontex) planes to monitor migrant departures from Libya.
Refugee rights organisations in the central Mediterranean, as well as in the Aegean Sea, at the Greek-Turkish-Bulgarian borders and elsewhere, have repeatedly accused Frontex of either aiding or carrying out refugee pushbacks and pullbacks on the external frontiers of the EU.
Frontex denies the allegations and told the Star last week that its officers are bound by a code of conduct that includes a paragraph specifically related to the prevention of refoulement and the upholding of human rights.
The agency said that an internal inquiry into recent allegations concluded that there was no evidence of a direct or indirect participation of Frontex staff or officers deployed in Frontex operations in alleged pushbacksin the Aegean Sea.
Eike tells me that Frontexs Eagle 1 aircraft was also on the scene last Friday.
We dont know if there was any communication between the scLCG and the Eagle 1,he says. But what it really shows is that there is no hesitation to facilitate illegal pushbacks deep inside a European SAR.
We out there for around seven hours. It was a crazy day.
While we were heading back, we heard that the Open Arms had reached the distress case. As you can imagine, it was a real relief.
Continued here:
Life and death on the Mediterranean Sea - Morning Star Online
- High Seas Trading Co.- Hawaiian shirts | Aloha Shirts | USA Made Clothing| - July 8th, 2022
- Romance on the High Seas (1948) - IMDb - July 8th, 2022
- High Seas and High Stakes Communications: Securing the Maritime ... - July 8th, 2022
- Review: 'The Sea Beast' is a high-seas animated adventure with surprising depth - WTOP - July 8th, 2022
- Canada hopes to lure more nations into fighting illicit fishing on the high seas - Canada's National Observer - July 8th, 2022
- Man Accused Of Killing Mother At Sea To Inherit Her Millions Seeks Pre-Trial Release - Oxygen - July 8th, 2022
- 7 new movies and shows to watch this weekend on Netflix, Hulu, Apple TV Plus and more (July 8) - Tom's Guide - July 8th, 2022
- Ubisoft finally shows us Skull and Bones, and it just makes me want to play Sea of Thieves - PC Gamer - July 8th, 2022
- Battling Mountainous Seas Powerless Bulker is Moved to Shelter - The Maritime Executive - July 8th, 2022
- The Metals Company and Allseas - GuruFocus.com - July 8th, 2022
- Taika Waititi Explains His Vision For Representation In Thor: Love And Thunder - Looper - July 8th, 2022
- PierPressure party boat hits Milford's high seas in June - CTPost - May 12th, 2022
- Cruise the Sea in These Luxury Five-Star Pods - The Market Herald - May 12th, 2022
- On the high seas with Engineers Australia's Young Engineering Associate of the Year - Create - create digital - May 12th, 2022
- Are the Great Lakes Really Inland Seas? - Atlas Obscura - April 28th, 2022
- How to Charter a Superyacht: Everything You Need to Know About Booking a High-Seas Vacation - Robb Report - April 28th, 2022
- India and the US Navigate Their Differences - Heritage.org - April 28th, 2022
- Nexxiot equips a significant share of the 3 mio TEU fleet from Hapag-Lloyd with IoT Technology - CSCMP's Supply Chain Quarterly - April 28th, 2022
- New Wrtsil large bore engine will debut in Utopia of the Seas - Marine Log - April 28th, 2022
- Cruising for beginners: Life on Royal Caribbean's Wonder of the Seas - bars, restaurants and activities - RSVP Live - April 28th, 2022
- New Zealand unveils plan to tackle climate crisis by adapting cities to survive rising seas - The Guardian - April 28th, 2022
- Disney On Ice presents INTO THE MAGIC | News - AussieTheatre.com - April 28th, 2022
- HOW I BECAME A PIRATE to Be Performed at The Perry Pavilion - Broadway World - April 28th, 2022
- The present and future of the Philippines-India partnership - The Manila Times - April 28th, 2022
- Joliet native serves aboard USS Hershel "Woody" Williams - 1340 WJOL - 1340 WJOL - April 28th, 2022
- Does the Sinking of the Moskva Matter and Why? - Russia Matters - April 28th, 2022
- Rescued sailor joins RNLI Mayday call as figures reveal busy year for Manx crews - rnli.org - April 28th, 2022
- International waters - Wikipedia - April 14th, 2022
- - High Seas Alliance - April 14th, 2022
- Weather forecast: Showers and rough seas - Dominican Today - April 14th, 2022
- Naval Service on the offensive to enlist more personnel - Irish Examiner - April 14th, 2022
- Meet the Iron Duke-Class: The Most Powerful Battleship of World War I? - 19FortyFive - April 14th, 2022
- Groove Cruise, The World's Largest Floating Dance Music Festival, Announces Its Upcoming Excursion Aboard Newly Remodeled and Award-Winning Ship - PR... - April 14th, 2022
- Costa Rica Directs its Efforts Towards Protecting the Ocean : - The Tico Times - April 14th, 2022
- MAIB: Crew's Comfort With Rough Weather May Have Caused Container Loss - The Maritime Executive - April 14th, 2022
- Sanctioned and Sailing Through Chinese Waters: The Case of the UN-Blacklisted Hoe Ryong - The Diplomat - April 14th, 2022
- World Sailing Speed Record Looks To Be Obliterated By The SP80 Sailboat - Boss Hunting - April 14th, 2022
- Sea Girl Carbon Theatre - The Reviews Hub - April 14th, 2022
- Hawke's Bay rain starts but less forecast than in original warnings - New Zealand Herald - April 14th, 2022
- Sailing the High Seas with Dejeros Cloud-Based Production Tools - TV Technology - October 9th, 2021
- Input wanted on changes to high seas fishing rules - The Bay's News First - SunLive - October 9th, 2021
- 9 crew of Indian vessel stranded on high seas rescued - The Statesman - October 9th, 2021
- Coast Guard rescues 9 crew members of mechanised vessal stranded in high seas - News Today - October 9th, 2021
- In Mumbai rave party bust, NCB carries out first-ever drugs search on cruise liner in high seas - Deccan Herald - October 9th, 2021
- Easy Halloween costume ideas for the continued collapse of society - Tampa Bay Times - October 9th, 2021
- What We Do In The Shadows Recap: The Siren - The Workprint - October 9th, 2021
- Trinidad and Tobago chaos over who actually owns the House of Football - Inside World Football - October 9th, 2021
- Deep seabed mining is risky. If something goes wrong, who will pay for it? - Mongabay.com - October 9th, 2021
- Students win new UH awards to protect oceans | University of Hawaii System News - UH System Current News - October 9th, 2021
- Seabed Mining: The Coast Guard's Deep Future - CIMSEC - October 9th, 2021
- SBI launches NAV-eCash Card. Check features and benefits here - Mint - October 9th, 2021
- Navigating Miocene Ocean Temperatures for Insights into the Future - Eos - October 9th, 2021
- Planning a Cruise? Here's What You Need to Know - NBC San Diego - October 9th, 2021
- National Grid in talks over plan for energy island in North Sea - The Guardian - October 9th, 2021
- A drone survives a sail into a major hurricane and "lives" to show the video - KTVZ - October 9th, 2021
- Listen closely: How sound could help improve the way we manage fisheries and conservation - Dal News - October 9th, 2021
- To solve space traffic woes, look to the high seas - MIT Technology Review - August 24th, 2021
- Who Is Going to Map the High Seas? - Hydro International - August 24th, 2021
- War on the High Seas - The Maritime Executive - August 24th, 2021
- Almost there: One more month until calmer seas, better weather - spacecityweather.com - August 24th, 2021
- Meet Rex, a Regal 417-Foot Expedition Yacht Concept With an Underwater Lounge and Helicopter Parking - Yahoo Lifestyle - August 24th, 2021
- Our first vacation fish, and other standout moments of summer 2021 | Pamelas Food Service Diary - SILive.com - August 24th, 2021
- HAWAII Hawaii County Weather Forecast for August 22, 2021 BIG ISLAND NOW - Big Island Now - August 24th, 2021
- NOAA Just Named 31 Nations That Engage in Illegal or Unregulated Fishing. Here's Why That's a Step in the Right Direction. - Earthjustice - August 24th, 2021
- Henri likely to bring rough seas to the south, possibly heavy rainfall in northern Delaware - delawarebusinessnow.com - August 24th, 2021
- Gather Round Mateys, These Arrrrre The Best Pirate Movies To Watch Right Now - Yahoo Lifestyle - August 24th, 2021
- You have what you voted for - Santa Barbara News-Press - August 24th, 2021
- Annette and a truly weird summer at the movies - Vox.com - August 24th, 2021
- As Henri Nears US Coast, Threat to Long Island Increases - East Hampton Star - August 24th, 2021
- Indias Highway Construction Is in the Fast Lane - Fair Observer - August 24th, 2021
- The Fiji Times Skipper's legacy A lover of the sea - Fiji Times - August 24th, 2021
- Chubut imposes strict measures on shrimp landings to protect the fishery - MercoPress - August 24th, 2021
- Jellyfish Found in Greece are the Least Dangerous of All - Greek Reporter - August 24th, 2021
- Indian Ocean: The maritime links of India-Malaysia - Hindustan Times - August 24th, 2021
- Shark Experts Agree, These Are The 5 Best Dive Sites In The World - Forbes - August 24th, 2021
- North Vancouver RCMP remind boaters of rules on the water during education blitz - North Shore News - August 24th, 2021
- Salinity Measurements of the Adriatic Sea Record an Unprecedented Increase - Total Croatia News - August 24th, 2021
- China and the Agreement to Prevent Unregulated High Seas Fisheries in the Central Arctic Ocean - The Diplomat - June 10th, 2021
- Africa must protect the high seas before its too late - Mail and Guardian - June 10th, 2021
- Bringing the High Seas Biodiversity Treaty Into Port - Council on Foreign Relations - June 10th, 2021