Europe’s only private migrant rescue mission left Malta yesterday amid a backdrop of shocking tragedies in the Mediterranean.

The Migrant Offshore Aid Station set off on its much-anticipated six-month mission to try to help reduce the number of deaths at sea, which have jolted EU leaders to act.

Within hours of leaving Malta, Italian and French authorities saved more than 1,300 people after smugglers' boats ran into trouble in the Mediterranean.

The NGO’s boat, the MV Phoenix, which last year saved a staggering 3,000 lives, has partnered with Médecins Sans Frontières to provide medical assistance to the rescued migrants.

‘Playing an active part in saving lives’

In a short ceremony prior to its departure from the Bezzina Ship Repair Yard, where it was refitted with the latest technology, MOAS director Martin Xuereb said the boat’s second mission was in itself a milestone.

“Until last year, MOAS was a non-entity but now we come to tell the world a story. We are no longer paper tigers but we are playing an active part in saving lives at sea,” he said.

Brig. Xuereb, the former head of the Armed Forces of Malta, said the organisation was this year better equipped and ready to face a tougher challenge than last year’s. The vessel is equipped with a €1 million state-of-the-art drone that is used to locate migrant boats.

The number of immigrants who have died at sea this year is believed to have reached more than 1,750. The International Organisation for Migration has warned that the estimated figure of 3,279 migrants who drowned last year could be eclipsed after Italy’s Mare Nostrum mission was shelved.

“This year’s numbers speak for themselves. The pattern is also different. This year we should not only talk about the pull factor – how Europe is attracting these migrants – but also about the push factor. We need to see the reasons why these people are being forced to leave their countries,” said Brig. Xuereb.

Regina and Chris Catrambone and their daughter Maria Luisa. Photo: Darrin Zammit LupiRegina and Chris Catrambone and their daughter Maria Luisa. Photo: Darrin Zammit Lupi

MOAS is the brainchild of wealthy Italian-American couple Regina and Chris Catrambone. Inspired by a sermon from Pope Francis in which he criticised what he called the “global indifference” to the refugee crisis, they decided to put their wealth behind the project.

The mission, which will run until October, comes as Europe struggles with the human tragedy unfolding in the Mediterranean. MSF Emergency Coordinator Will Turner said the organisation’s business was to treat victims of violence, hunger and disease all around the world.

“Over 700 people died last week. That is the equivalent of a warzone. We expected action to be taken yet the rhetoric focuses more on smugglers and borders. The real focus should be on saving lives.”

At a summit last week, EU leaders agreed to triple the funding for its border patrol agency and planned to target the smugglers’ boats, amid other incentives.

Mr Turner said many of the migrants are fleeing their countries out of despair.

“It is our business to save lives and alleviate their suffering. This is where we turn words into action.”

Opposition leader Simon Busuttil, who visited the boat yesterday, said the initiative showed how civil society was giving a lesson to Europe and the world about how it should deal with African migration.

“Saving human lives should be the utmost priority – all other considerations are secondary. It had to be MOAS to give us this lesson.”

Before the vessel left, Archbishop Charles Scicluna also visited to wish them success.

“God bless you. Go and save as many lives as you possibly can,” he told Mr Catrambone.

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