Patrol boat skipper recounts migrants rescue
The 171 migrants rescued by the Armed Forces of Malta on Thursday were packed in a small fishing boat that was taking in water and rolling dangerously in rough seas, according to the captain who headed the operation.
Speaking aboard the P61 patrol boat berthed at Hay Wharf after almost two days at sea, Captain James Grech said the migrants requested assistance when the army boat spotted them.
“ It was an overcrowded fishing vessel, which also had people sitting on the roof of the cabin. The boat was close to the waterline and rolling dangerously in a sea swell of between 1.5 and two metres,” Capt. Grech said.
An inspection by soldiers after all migrants were transferred to the patrol boat revealed that the fishing boat was taking in water and the engine room was flooded.
Capt. Grech explained that the patrol boat never pulled up alongside the fishing vessel to avoid a situation where migrants shifted to one side with the risk of their boat capsizing. According to normal procedure the army deployed a dinghy.
“ First we gave all people on board the fishing vessel a life jacket and drinking water because they were asking for it. We then started transferring the migrants in groups of 10 by dinghy onto the patrol boat,” he recounted, adding that women, children and migrants who appeared weak were the first to be transferred.
Capt. Grech recalled the sigh of relief when all migrants were successfully transferred to the patrol boat, especially those who had been in the fishing boat’s crammed hold.
“ They looked very tired but none of them had problems related to dehydration,” he said.
Even though they had been plucked out of danger, the ordeal was not over because the Italian authorities denied the P61 entry into Lampedusa, which was the closest safe port to the scene of the rescue.
After 90 minutes of ongoing negotiations with the Italians that led to nowhere and given the rough seas, the Maltese authorities then ordered the patrol boat to make its way to Hay Wharf, a voyage that took almost eight hours.
The rescue operation was conducted in the shadow of the previous day’s tragedy when a migrant boat carrying about 300 people capsized while being assisted by two Italian coastguard ships.
“ The crew are obviously very tired because they had been out at sea from the previous day but they are also very satisfied that the rescue operation was successful,” Capt. Grech said of his men.
ksansone@ timesofmalta. com
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Charles.C.Brown
Apr 10th 2011, 08:51
@Charles Sammut. Before you start on the eritraians, ethiopians and what have you again ,I would suggest to have a good look at yourself in the mirrior and make sure that you wont fall in the WOG category when or if you ever visit one of these self priserved european countries that you mentioned !!
Andrew Gatt
Apr 9th 2011, 18:27
These men have a challenging job, day and night, often in awful weather conditions. Doing their duty regardless.
Unsung heroes, the lot of them. To be admired.
Yordanos Z
Apr 9th 2011, 18:23
All praises go out to Captain James Grech, his immaculate crew, and the country of Malta. 171 lives were saved after a recent, horrible tragedy on Weds. that took approx. 200 lives, where we feared my cousin was amongst the missing. We recently found out yesterday that she made it alive and was taken to Malta. I thank all the heros in this situation and hopes they will be recognized for their heroic and selfless conduct. They will always be remembered by the Eritrean community and other ethnic groups whose refugees were saved from the start of a civil war in Libya. These refugees were escaping attacks by libyan rebels who believed the Sub-Sahran refugees were hired by the Libyan leader as mercenaries. I cant express the relief I experienced yesterday after the great news and just now after seeing her in the video clip.....Excellent work, AFM!!!!!!
Charles Sammut
Apr 9th 2011, 18:45
Eritrea is now safe to return to. Why did your cousin not go back home and help rebuild her country but instead preferred to risk her life, pay good money and travel to Europe? Eritrea is a tourist destination, if it is safe for tourists it is safe for Eriteans.
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/eritrea
"Isn’t that enough? Although the country faces numerous hardships, it paradoxically remains one of Africa’s most peaceful, secure and welcoming destinations. Come and see for yourself!"
Jesmond Micallef
Apr 9th 2011, 19:05
Thank you for your feedback, Yordanos Z. Your comment stating that Libyan Rebels have attacked the Sub-Sahara refugees because of suspected mercenary activity on behalf of pro Gadaffi militias adds a much deeper insight into this. Only God knows how all this is going to end up !! Its good that you know that your relation is well and safe.
Robert Callus
Apr 9th 2011, 14:56
Amid this whole saga it's a breath of fresh air to hear from the people who are actually out saving people's lives. Definitely a tiring job but for sure gives a lot of satisfaction. Keep up the good work.
Tony Pace
Apr 9th 2011, 14:07
Well done to Capt Grech and his Maltese crew; but a big PROSIT to the Maltese politicians who took the painful decision/s to neutralise the inhuman, insensitive and irresponsible behaviour of our neighbouring country. I am proud of our values.
Charles Sammut
Apr 9th 2011, 13:58
To all those who are saying "Shame on the Italians". You will realise why the Italians, France and indeed the rest of Europe is not interested in having these people on their soil. Is that racism? No it is self-preservation.
Peter Agius
Apr 9th 2011, 13:29
Well done Capt.Grech.....You are an asset to our Armed Forces. It seems that you are not only Captain of your boat but also of your crew who see in you someone whom they can refer to. Best of luck for future operations.!!!!
Jesmond Micallef
Apr 9th 2011, 13:12
Hemm huma il Maltin !! Prosit tassew lil membri tal ekwipagg tal P61. Azjoni tassew umana li tixraq ir-rispett ta kullħadd, bla dubju ta xejn. Il Maltin ma jisparrawx fuq dawn il vittmi tal isfrutar uman li qed nkompli minkejja ċirkustanzi ta gwerra u tħabit ċivili. Din hija storja oħra ma dawk il ħafna ħafna stejjer umani li l' kontinent Afrikan minn dejjem kellhu. Nixtieq nofri messagg ta solidarjeta ma dawn in nies Afrikani kif wkoll ma dawk l' oħrajn li qegħdin ibagħtu minħabba nġustizzji serji ħafna soċjali. Prosit lil Kaptan James Grech AFM.
And now some technicalities:
The AFM Patrol Boat P61 is an Italian Diciotti Class vessel. It's the flagship of the AFM Maritime Squadron.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diciotti_class
The Italian Navy had fast hydrofoil seacraft in service during the seventies and eighties. The Boeing P-420 Swordfish known in the Italian as the P-420 Sparviero. This vessel could reach 40 knots on foils, and was powered by a Rolls Royce (ex-Bristol) Proteus gas turbine engine, the same basic engine which powered the mighty SR.N4 Hovercraft !!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sparviero_class_patrol_boat
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrofoil
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SR.N4
sciortino m
Apr 9th 2011, 12:31
Congratulations to the Armed Forces of Malta. Well done.
Giovanni Rizzo
Apr 9th 2011, 12:04
Prosit boys-veru haqqkhom Gieh ir-Repubblika.
Louise Vella
Apr 9th 2011, 12:01
In numbers rather than words, 816 + 171 = 987. A thousand for short.
Robert Callus
Apr 9th 2011, 17:04
It's neither about words nor numbers but action. These people are out there saving human lives and Mathematics has nothing no place in the equation. What should Capt. Grech have done? Count them, work out a percentage and save the desired number? I'm sure he wasn't thinking that way - thankfully.
clare spiteri
Apr 9th 2011, 11:33
Well done to our AFM.Amazing that a dot in the mediterranean can most of the time come out of very difficult situations with flying colours. The Italians, well look at their behaviour in the last war.....and their treatment of the Libyans when they tried to colonize Libya....and what about Ethiopia and the treatment of the native population...it makes gruesome reading.A civilized nation?lets think again.
Anthony Baldacchino
Apr 9th 2011, 12:20
Those migrants were rescued in Malta's S.A.R aree " see http://www.sarmalta.gov.mt/sar_in_Malta.htm " so they should be brought to Malta, imagine if they were rescued in the Italian area and brought to Malta. Mama Mia
O Mangion
Apr 9th 2011, 16:57
Anthony Baldacchino since when have you become an expert in international law? No Baldacchino, according to international law they should be taken to the nearest port.
CEllul
Apr 9th 2011, 20:10
Malta is obliged to co-ordinate all rescue operations in its S&R and not to accept every immigrant in it. The Italians should have saved or at least accepted the immigrants because Lampedusa was the closest port on call. Considering Italy's colonial past I am pretty confident to believe that the Somalians and Eritreans would have loved to have gone to a 'place near the sun' ie in Italy.
Stephen Farrugia
Apr 9th 2011, 11:04
I know Capt. James Grech. In a few words he is an Officer and A Gentleman.
Tony Gatt
Apr 9th 2011, 12:40
He seems to be a very modest man. I hope he got a bit of peace and quiet after that interview as he looked very tired.
Marco Cremona
Apr 9th 2011, 10:57
Well done to the AFM and the people involved in taking the unpopular decision in saving these people and bringing them to safety in Malta. A shining example for all of us and Europe, and a milestone in the fight against racism. Prosit !
It must be a marvellous life experience for the Captain and the crew to have saved 170 lives (in less than 12 hours). No single doctor can make this claim.
T.Camilleri
Apr 9th 2011, 10:11
Shame on Italy Shame on the EU for keeping silent and not censuring Italy. Where are all the NGO's and the media and the UNHCR who are so vociferous at other times? Just imagine had Malta turned away the patrol boat-all hell would have broken loose. But Malta is too small and easy to hit and criticis and censor. Where is the Italian Church? Everyone remains silent. UNBELIEVABLE THE HYPOCRISY OF THESE ENTITIES. They should shut up in future as they are no longer credible. Lampedusa was full with 39 illegal immigrants and Malta ........ with thousands of illegal immigrants? And pse lets be cler once nd for all they are illegal immigrants NOT REFUGEES. One becomes eligible to be called a Refugee after due process until then one is an iIlegal Immigrant without proper documents. and top this double-talk.
cellul
Apr 9th 2011, 11:14
The EU is only concerned about one thing, ie that immigrants remain at its southern borders if possible. Considering that no one had seriously criticized what the Italians did yesterday, then I fear that they won't hesitate to do it again and leave us to carry the burden.
We should consider changing the iva slogan to 'Nghidu iva ghal kollox'
John Atkins
Apr 9th 2011, 10:05
Ultima Parola discussion on Rai 2:
http://www.rai.tv/dl/RaiTV/programmi/media/ContentItem-c4d0d143-a711-46ae-84e1-13c322461b84.html
Vincent Galea
Apr 9th 2011, 10:01
Is humankind good or evil by nature ?
This hard question began in the Bible " Am I my brother's keeper ? " Cain asks..The same question was stll being asked when Darwin first suggested that " survival of the fittest " was a matter of natural law.Yet it is also true that some amoebas sacrifice themselves for the benefit of their fellow creatures, vampire bats share blood and " sentry " gazelles " warn the flock by leaping when a lion is spotted thus putting themselves at risk of certain death.
Does the virtues of animals and humans come from the very same place ? If so then our people are on track and the ITALIANS are off track.
Charles Sammut
Apr 9th 2011, 13:53
What a ridiculous comparison. Some people also sacrifice themselves for their cause, they are called "suicide bombers." They (suicide bombers) are so convinced that they are doing the right thing that they believe that they will be rewarded in heaven for their sacrifice. And their mothers are proud of them to the extent that it becomes their ambition.
P Attard
Apr 9th 2011, 09:27
Excellent job by our professional and brave officers.
gcForte
Apr 9th 2011, 09:25
Prosit skipper............Ghalkemm ahna zghar bhala pajjiz, b`nies bhalek qeghdin nuru lid dinja, kemm ahna KBAR u KURAGGJUZI. Ma nibzawx mill maltemp, u l-ewwel skop taghna huwa li insalvaw nies umani bhalna ( specjalment tfal ). Haddiehor l-anqas ghat tfal ma giethom hniena. Po...ci..........MISSHOM JISTHU...
LVZammit
Apr 9th 2011, 09:17
Congratulations Captain. That's what you call sheer responsibility. Well done.
margaret richards
Apr 9th 2011, 09:14
A VERY BIG WELL DONE TO OUR AFM GUYS. PROUD OF YOU!!!
Gerard Cassar
Apr 9th 2011, 12:47
An Italian Parlamentarian opened a banner in the Italian Parliament with the words "Morrono Assasino".
It was quickly torn away by some memeber of the political party in Government.
Were the words proved right?.