We report the reconstruction written yesterday by Shipping Italy of the rescue operation carried out in the Maltese SAR area by the merchant ship Calajunco M. Thanks to the signal from Sea-Watch's Sea Bird aircraft, 70 people were rescued and disembarked in the port of Trapani.

A boat carrying migrants and now taking on water in increasingly risky marine weather conditions was rescued in Maltese waters late yesterday evening by an Italian ship, the Calajunco M of the shipping company Augusta due.

This was announced by the Brullo family's shipping company, explaining that "the seventy migrants, the majority of whom are Egyptian nationals, were rescued and embarked on the Italian ship, which is now proceeding towards the port of Trapani, in accordance with the instructions provided by the MRCC Centre at the Harbour Master's Office".

The reconstruction goes on to say that 'the first alert on a small grey boat in difficulty had been issued by the Italian and Maltese Search and Rescue Centres at around 2pm yesterday.

It was only thanks to the signal of a small sighting aircraft [Sea-Watch's Sea Bird aircraft] that the captain of the Calajunco M (a tanker for the transport of oil products) managed to reach the boat, which, with its engines off and inoperable, was drifting in Maltese waters. While waiting for indications from the rescue centres, the Italian ship placed itself close to the boat and started to supply it with lifebuoys, blankets and first aid supplies. Faced with worsening weather and sea conditions, force 4, rapidly swelling and 20 knots of wind, the commander of the Italian ship, Manuel Arena, broke the deadlock and, after coordinating with the Italian and Maltese Sea Rescue Centres, further positioned his unit to protect the drifting boat and proceeded to embark all 70 migrants, with the efforts of the 18 sailors who make up the crew of the Calajunco M.

They are expected to arrive in Trapani in the evening of today, Sunday 2 July.

Below is the letter that the crew of the Mare Jonio wanted to write to the captain of the Calajunco M to thank him for carrying out this operation.

To the Commander Mr Manuel Arena;

Esteemed Commander,

May you receive from this command and from the entire crew of the civil rescue vessel "Mare Jonio", all the gratitude you deserve for the successful conclusion of the sea rescue operation you conducted with the help of the civil reconnaissance aircraft "Sea Bird - Sea Watch" to which our recognition also goes.

You have once again honoured that law of the sea which, before the school textbooks, was handed down to us by our fathers and grandfathers, and which no man or woman of the sea can ever forget. And you did it to the very end, ensuring the arrival of the rescued persons in a port where no torture or violence awaited them, but a dignified reception as required by the Hamburg Convention and above all by human conscience.

Our heartfelt thanks to you, then, for saving lives and renewing in the best way possible the glorious tradition of seafarers and our Merchant Navy.

May a good wind and a calm sea always accompany your work.

With esteem.

Commander Giovanni Buscema

First Officer Davide Dinicola

Civil Rescue Ship Mare Jonio

Photo credits: Vesselfinder