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Search and rescue in the Central Mediterranean

by Médecins Sans Frontières

Every year, thousands of people lose their lives in the Mediterranean Sea, sadly known to be the deadliest migration route in the world.

Although helping people in distress at sea is a legal obligation, European governments have chosen to abandon their responsibilities.

Since 2015, the European Union and its member states stopped deploying dedicated search and rescue operations. As of 2017, they progressively delegated its responsibilities to third countries, such as Libya. This has resulted in the Libyan coastguard intercepting boats to stop people from reaching Europe and forcibly returning them to Libya. There, people are detained in deplorable conditions where violence, humiliation and extortion are common practices.

Giving the increasing void left by the European states in the Mediterranean and faced with the urgency of saving lives, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has been running search and rescue activities since 2015, rescuing thousands of people each year.

How do search and rescue activities work?

MSF crew members use binoculars to identify nearby boats and respond to alerts from aerial assets or the Alarm Phone – a hotline for people in distress at sea.

As soon as a boat is located, the clock starts ticking. Rescuers must move as fast and carefully as possible to prevent often flimsy, overcrowded boats from sinking.

A rescue operation can last between one and ten hours, depending on the weather, the number of people in distress and the physical and mental state that they are in.

Once on board the MSF rescue vessel, the medical team examines everyone.

Typically, 30% of survivors are minors and 10% are female. Hypothermia, dehydration, fuel burns, as well as physical and psychological trauma related to violence during their journeys are common.

The MSF team also arranges for activities to help people reclaim their dignity and a sense of humanity, such as cutting hair, language classes and cooking sessions.

The final stage of the rescue is finding a place to disembark the survivors. Under maritime law, this should be in a safe place that is the closest possible to the vessel’s location.

However, it often happens that the European coastal states, mainly Italy and Malta, are reluctant to coordinate rescues with non-governmental organisations (NGOs), if not deliberately trying to obstruct the civilian lifesaving activities at sea.

Over the years, European states have used different administrative and legal harassment tactics against humanitarian organisations providing assistance at sea. From making NGO vessels wait for days before assigning them a place of safety or sending them to distant ports, to accusing them of criminal activity.

Despite the relentless hostile environment in which humanitarian organisations and their vessels operate, and so long as European states deliberately choose to let people drown, MSF remains fully committed to saving lives at sea.

A video by Médecins Sans Frontières