Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS) will today launch its 2017 central Mediterranean mission to continue saving lives at sea.

For the first time, the search and rescue charity’s operation will combine the maritime component with a manned aircraft.

Having established itself as the first civil society SAR organisation involved in the migration phenomenon, this will be MOAS's fifth mission since its launch in 2014. The charity says that to date it has rescued over 33,000 children, women and men.

Its 40-metre-long vessel, the Phoenix, will this year be joined by a fixed-wing aircraft sponsored by The One Foundation.

To date, MOAS has rescued over 33,000 children, women and men

The plane, MOAS said, will allow a greater reach and is equipped with a full mission suite that allows enhanced detection of vessels in distress.

The Phoenix will again be manned by a professional search and rescue team and a post-rescue care unit.

The MOAS team of doctors, paramedics, nurses and logisticians will run the ship’s clinic and continue to provide social and medical care, as well as hot meals to those rescued.

The qualified crew on board the Phoenix provides medical and social care to those rescued at sea. Photo: Jason Florio/Moas

MOAS continues to operate within the framework of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and international maritime law. Operations will be conducted in collaboration with the maritime rescue coordination centre in Rome and other stakeholders operating in the field.

“We owe our presence at sea to those who continue to support our mission and who believe, as we do, that no one deserves to die at sea,” MOAS co-founder and director Regina Catrambone said.

MOAS said it would continue to work towards implementing safe and legal routes as an alternative to the deadly Mediterranean crossing.

Log on to www.moas.eu/moasxchange-2017 for more information.