Nearly 100 migrants were left waiting on board the MOAS rescue vessel for 12 hours in a Sicilian port yesterday, Times of Malta has learnt.
The migrants, who had been rescued by the privately-funded philanthropic rescue mission MOAS, were made to wait in the Port of Empedocle, in southern Sicily, due to a shortage of Italian rescue personnel. They had been rescued after more than 12 hours at sea onboard a small inflatable dinghy.
Sources close to the operation said the lack of Italian personnel was likely the result of the winding down of the Italian government’s own rescue operations.
The MOAS missions normally work in tandem with the Italian Mare Nostrum rescue programme, with migrants handed over to the Italian authorities to allow the MOAS ship to continue fulfilling its search and rescue function.
The sources said no Italian rescue officials were present yesterday and very few were available at the Sicilian port. “This could be the beginning of the end of Mare Nostrum, which is worrying because there are still a lot of people who need saving,” the sources said.
The Italian government is expected to halt the Mare Nostrum programme next month, with the EU launching its own, smaller, rescue operation later this year.
Originally from Gambia, Senegal, Niger, Mali, Sierra Leone and Benin, the weary migrants were given medical assistance when they were rescued from their vessel but then spent the night on board the 40-foot Phoenix rescue boat while moored in port.
This latest operation formed part of the venture’s third and final rescue mission. About 2,300 migrants have been saved by MOAS this summer.
Meanwhile, Regina Catrambone, who funds the MOAS mission together with her husband, yesterday launched an urgent appeal for funds to finance further missions.
“Now that Mare Nostrum is coming to an end, the urgency to save lives is even greater. We are very grateful to all the people around the world who have donated but there is still a long way to go until we can ensure future missions,” she said.
Donations can be made via www.moas.eu.