Rescue Report No. 16

Latest information:

Yesterday, all 82 survivors were able to disembark safely in Reggio Calabria. Some of them were immediately taken to hospital.

Last update: 06 December, 15:20 CET

Rescues

6
Survivors

347

Spotted! An aircraft reported the distress case to the Humanity 1. The other two boats were spotted by our crew. One of them directly approached the Humantiy 1. For the last three boats, a distress call was received via the Alarmphone.
The first boat was a grey rubber boat in extremely bad condition. When the crew arrived the boat was already delfating and filled with water. The second boat was also a unseaworthy and overcrowded rubber boat. The third boat was an unseaworthy firbreglass boat. The fourth boat was an inflatable dinghy without a motor, the fifth a wooden boat unfit for sea. The sixth boat was an unseaworthy and overcrowded wooden boat. By the time our crew reached it, it was already listing dangerously.
Medical situation: The people were exhausted when they arrived on board. Some of them were seasick or sufferd from fuel burns. Some of them spent several days and nights at sea before being rescued. After the sixth rescue, a medical emergency plan had to be activated on board because many survivors were in a critical condition. Some people were unconscious or had water in their airways. Many were hypothermic, exhausted and dehydrated from two days in bad weather on the high seas.
As a port of safety for the first rescue the Italian authorities first assigned Bari. Later the changed the port to Reggio Callabria due to the bad weather conditions. For the other rescues, the authorities first assigned Marina di Carrara in Italy and then, due to the bad weather, Trapani in Italy. Reggio Calabria in Italy is the assigned port for the sixth rescue.

Details:

On 15.11.2024, the Humanity 1 left the port of Syracuse. The crew prepared for upcoming rescues by carrying out RHIB training at sea during the day and night, practising food distribution, medical measures and other scenarios such as mass casualties. After completing the training, the crew discovered an empty boat during the search, which had presumably previously been intercepted by the so-called Libyan Coast Guard.
Our crew received an emergency call on 19 November around noon and immediately set course for the boat in distress. The crew found only an empty boat at the indicated position. Shortly beforehand, they spotted a patrol boat of the so-called Libyan Coast Guard coming at high speed from the direction of the reported distress at sea. It is highly likely that another illegal pull-back took place before Humanity 1 arrived, in which people were forcibly returned to Libya.

Notification of Distress Case: distress call reported by radio as Mayday Relay on VHF channel 16 and confirmed by a civilian reconnaissance aircraft. Later, the Alarmphone also sent a distress call corresponding to the case.

Location: Libyan search and rescue zone, approx. 88 kilometres from the libyan coast

Number of people pulled-back: approx. 38
Notification of Distress Case: mayday relay via radio by monitoring aircraft

Location: Maltese Search and Rescue Region, 166 kilometres off the Libyan coast

Condition of boat: the grey rubber boat was in an extremely bad condition, already full of water and has lost air as the crew arrived.

Number of survivors: 70

Medical condition: survivors were exhausted, some of them were seasick or sufferd from fuel burns.

Weather conditions: calm sea, 0.5 meter waves
In the early morning of 23.11.2024, the Humanity 1 arrived at the port of Reggio Calabria in Italy. She first had to wait outside the port due to the poor weather conditions. Only when the wind died down at around 9:30 a.m. CET she was able to dock. Disembarkation started at 10:20 CET. Only 20 minutes later, all 70 survivors had gone ashore.
Back in the area of operation, the crew again looked for boats in distress. On 26 November 2024, they discovered three empty boats. There were no markings indicating a rescue and the boats’ engines were missing. Both of these points to the fact that the so-called Libyan Coast Guard intercepted the people and brought them back to Libya.
Since last night, a patrol boat of the Libyan militia ‘Stability Support Apparatus’ (SSA)with a firearm mounted on the bow had been following the Humanity 1. On 27.11.2024 in the afternoon, the crew had to witness an illegal pull-back by this very patrol boat. Several contact attempts remained unanswered.

Chronology and Communication with authorities

15:35 CET Whilst in the Libyan SRR in position 33° 27’N 012° 51’ E, motor vessel (MV) Humanity 1 spots a potential distress case in approx. 3nm distance – an overcrowded rubber boat in position 33°25’N 012°52’E.

15:45 CET MV Humanity 1 spots Libyan Patrol Boat (LPB) Alqayid Saqar (Stability Support Apparatus (SSA)) increasing speed and approaching the rubber boat.

16:05 CET Alqayid Saqar arrives on scene in position 33°25.0’N 012°52.9’E. From 3nm distance, lookout of MV Humanity 1 can see how people from the rubber boat are being taken on board Alqayid Saqar.

16:10 CET MV Humanity 1 calls LPB Alqayid Saqar via VHF CH16 – first in English, then Arabic. No answer.

16:22 CET MV Humanity 1 alters course and stands by clear from scene.

16:42 CET MV Humanity 1 calls LPB Alqayid Saqar via VHF CH16. No answer.

16:47 CET MV Humanity 1 calls LPB Alqayid Saqar via VHF CH16, asking about possible persons overboard and offering assistance. No answer.

17:00 CET MV Humanity 1 in position 33°27.2’N 012°48.8’E spots another overcrowded rubber boat and alters course to the target for further assessment and leaves the scene.

21:52 CET MV Humanity 1 informs JRCC Malta, MRCC Rome and MRCC Bremen via e-mail about witnessed interception, stating the previous offer of assistance to Alqayid Saqar as better equipped and professional search and rescue vessel as well as the nature of JRCC Libya and so-called Libyan Coast Guard.
Notification of Distress Case: spotted by crew during lookout

Location: Libyan Search and Rescue Region, approx. 70 kilometres off the Libyan coast

Condition of boat: unseaworthy and overcrowded rubber boat on which the people were exposed to the elements, no life-saving equipment on board

Number of survivors: 64

Medical condition: the people spent one day and one night at sea.

Weather conditions: 1 meter waves

Chronology and Communication with Authorities

17:00 CET MV Humanity 1 lookout spots an overcrowded rubber boat in position 33°24.2’N 012°44.8’E, 5nm away and alters course to the potential distress case.

17:26 CET In position 33°27.2’N 012°48.8 E’ MV Humanity 1 informs JRCC Libya, JRCC Malta and MRCC Rome via e-mail about the boat in distress and intention to provide assistance.

17:28 CET MV Humanity 1 launches RHIBs (fast boats) to assess the situation.

17:32 CET The RHIBs reaches the distress cases and report the first assessment: ~60ppl on board a rubber boat, 8 women, 2 children. It’s a super overcrowded, unseaworthy rubber boat. There is no lifesaving equipment and no lifejackets on board. People are exposed to the elements.

17:43 CET MV Humanity 1 informs JRCC Libya, MRCC Rome and JRCC Malta about the first assessment and urgency of the situation, informing about proceeding to rescue the people in distress in accordance with his duty to render assistance without further delay to any person in distress at sea, as stipulated in Article 98 UNCLOS. The RHIB crew starts to embark on some people to the RHIBs to relieve the distress case.

17:47 CET The RHIB teams begin the evacuation of survivors from the boat in distress to MV Humanity 1.

17:56 CET All 65 people safely embarked on the MV Humanity 1.

18:10 CET Completion of the rescue operation. All survivors, crew and equipment back onboard Humanity 1.

18:41 CET MV Humanity 1 informs JRCC Libya, JRCC Malta and MRCC Rome about the completed rescue, 64 survivors on board and requests a close Place of Safety to promptly disembark all 64 survivors who are currently on board as defined in the Annex to the 1979 SAR Convention, paragraph 1.3.2 and in the IMO Resolution MSC.167(78)).

21:26 CET MRCC Rome assigns the port of Marina die Marrara which is 660 nautical miles away from the position of MV Humanity 1.

21:51 CET MV Humanity 1 acknowledges the assigned Place of Safety Marina di Carrara via email and informs MRCC Rome that MV Humanity 1 is on its way to Marina di Carrara. MV Humanity 1 also requests a closer Place of Safety considering international maritime law, the well-being of the survivors and the worsening weather ahead.
Notification of Distress Case: spotted by crew during lookout, the boat approached the Humanity 1 with over 20k knots and came alongside.

Location: Libyan Search and Rescue Region, approx. 110 kilometres off the Libyan coast

Condition of boat: unseaworthy and overcrowded fast boat on which the people were exposed to the elements, no life-saving equipment on board

Additional information: the overcrowded and unseaworthy boat was approaching the Humanity 1 at high speed. There were four masked people on board who withdrew immediately after 47 survivors were brought on board Humanity 1. According to reports from survivors, the men were from the so-called Libyan Coast Guard.

Number of survivors: 47

Weather conditions: 1 meter waves

Chronology and Communication with Authorities

23:00 CET In position 33°48.5’N 012°57.5’ E, Humanity 1 spots an overcrowded fiberglass boat about 200m away with approximately 40 people on board approaching MV Humanity 1.

23:07 CET Due to the urgency of the situation, Humanity 1 calls MRCC Rome to inform them about the distress case and offers assistance. MRCC Rome gives green light to delay the arrival at the assigned port of safety, Marina di Carrara, and confirms to rescue the people in distress.

23:23 CET: The Captain sends an email to MRCC Libya, MRCC Italy, and RCC Malta to inform them about the case and that MV Humanity 1 will provide immediate assistance to the persons in distress and rescue them without delay in compliance with international law.

23:30 CET MV Humanity is approached by the overcrowded fiberglass boat from aft towards the embarkation area on portside, dangerously maneuvering around MV Humanity 1. Four people on board wear masks and give instructions to the rest of the people on the boat. The other people in the boat ask to be urgently rescued. MV Humanity takes all 47 survivors safely on board. The four masked persons refuse to be rescued and leave the scene towards South.

23:52 CET After already having informed MRCC Rome via phone, MV Humanity 1 informs MRCC Rome via e-mail about the rescue of 47 survivors now on board and continues navigation towards the assigned place of safety, Marina di Carrara.
Notification of distress case: alerted by Alarmphone

Location: Tunisian search and rescue zone, 41 kilometres southwest of Lampedusa

Condition of boat: overcrowded and unseaworthy grey rubber boat, no engine, no life jackets, no life saving equipment, people exposed to the elements

Number of people: 38

Medical condition: people were weak, exhausted and dehydrated after being at sea for 3 days.

Weather conditions (during rescue): calm, 0.5m waves
Notification of distress case: alerted by Alarmphone, coordinated by the Italian rescue coordination centre

Location: Maltese search and rescue zone, 45 kilometres southwest of Lampedusa

Condition of boat: overcrowded and unseaworthy blue wooden boat, no life jackets, no life saving equipment, people exposed to the elements

Number of people: 46

Weather conditions (during rescue): calm, 0.5m waves
Notification of distress case: alerted by Alarmphone

Location: Maltese search and rescue zone, 65 kilometres southwest of Lampedusa

Condition of boat: overcrowded and unseaworthy blue wooden boat, no life jackets, no rescue equipment, people exposed to the elements

Number of people: 82

Medical condition: most of the people were suffering from exhaustion, dehydration and hypothermia. An emergency medical plan had to be activated on board because many survivors were in a critical condition. Some people were unconscious or had water in their airways.

Weather conditions: rough, 2 metre high waves, strong increasing winds
On 05 December 2024, all 82 survivors on board the Humanity 1 were able to disembark safely in Reggio Calabria. The 24-hour delay by the Italian authorities in assigning a port of safety caused unnecessary uncertainty for those rescued, many of whom were brought on board in a critical condition. Some of them were immediately taken to hospital.