This morning, while sailing northward, after receiving several alerts from Alarm Phone and from Sea-Watch’s civil observation aircraft Seabird, the ship MEDITERRANEA spotted a boat in distress about 13 nautical miles southeast of Lampedusa.

We immediately contacted the operations room of the Italian Coast Guard on the island, which informed us that it was unable to intervene with its patrol boats, as they were all engaged in numerous ongoing SAR (Search and Rescue) cases. We then coordinated with the National Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (IT MRCC in Rome).

Our team rescued 27 people who were without life jackets on a small, overcrowded fiberglass boat at imminent risk of sinking. Within a few minutes, we safely brought everyone on board our ship.

On board MEDITERRANEA, after three rescues, there are currently 92 survivors, including 31 unaccompanied minors. All of them are now being assisted by our medical team, but since they are vulnerable and traumatized individuals who have suffered unspeakable violence in Libya and endured the dangers of the crossing, we have asked the competent Italian authorities to assign the nearest port of disembarkation.

The situation at sea once again demonstrates how vital rescue operations are — they must be supported, not hindered.