https://www.infomigrants.net/en/post/62367/mediterranean-dozens-of-migra...
SOS Mediterranée, the organization that operates the Ocean Viking, stated that the boat on which the group of 83 migrants had been traveling was located in the Libya search and rescue zone at the time of the rescue. Earlier, the group had said on X that 85 people had been rescued, probably an initial estimate that was later corrected.
The Ocean Viking crew received an emergency call in the middle of the night from a surveillance aircraft, Eagle 1, which directed them towards the position of the boat.
"One third of those rescued are under the age of 18," stated the organization SOS Mediterranée. The three babies are reported all to be "under a year old."
According to the rescuers, the overcrowded boat was already taking on significant amounts of water when they arrived. It was about to break up due to the weight of those on board, SOS Mediterranée stated in a report.
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On the same night, the crew of the Louise Michel, a rescue boat funded by British street artist Banksy, rescued 38 people. In a post on X, the crew reported encountering a wooden boat after hearing a distress alert issued by a Frontex aircraft. The organization could not confirm if the alert was for the same vessel. All 38 individuals were safely brought aboard.
Four-day voyage before disembarkation
The Italian authorities have told the crew of the Ocean Viking they should proceed towards the north-western port of Genoa to disembark those rescued. This, states SOS Mediterranée, involves a four-day voyage away from the rescue location.
According to the organization, since 2022, when the new policy was introduced, SOS Mediterranée has missed out on about 171 missions where they might have been rescuing people, due to the days "lost" owing to the longer voyage times to far-away ports in northern or central Italy.
"This policy," states SOS Mediterranée "puts unquantifiable numbers of lives at risk in the Mediterranean and is against maritime law."
The Italian authorities argue that the ports nearer the rescue zone, in southern Italy and Sicily are not equipped to deal with so many arrivals and are often 'overwhelmed' by the numbers of migrants on their territory, so for a fairer distribution, they send the rescue ships to the economically stronger northern ports, where facilities they say, are more able to cope.
