Copyright © Françoise Herrmann
The widely circulated photograph of 3-year-old Syrian refugee child, washed ashore on a beach in Turkey, on September 2, 2015, outraged the whole of Europe. The child was shipwrecked on the Mediterranean, on a perilous journey to Greece, undertaken by thousands of migrants fleeing persecution. SOS Méditerranée, a European civil society organization, founded in 2015 in France and Germany, and soon after, in Italy and Switzerland, was borne of the circumstances of this horrifying event.
With support generated everywhere in Europe, SOS Méditerranée acquired and outfitted a giant ship (230 ft lx 50ft), the Ocean Viking, dedicated to rescue missions in the Mediterranean. Consistent with the provisions of International Maritime Law (Admiralty Law in the United States), which obligate captains at sea to assist persons in distress, regardless of their nationality, race, religion, status or circumstances, the Ocean Viking operates with a specialized rescue mission crew of 120, since 2019.
The crew includes doctors, nurses, sea-rescue technicians and logistics professionals, hailing from 17 different countries. Fully equipped with a small hospital, accommodations for rescued passengers, three launch boats for missions, and a helicopter pad, the Ocean Viking was preceded by the operations of a much smaller ship called Aquarius. Since 2016, a total of 37,000 people, and counting, were rescued. A total of 20,000 have also perished.
The SOS Méditerranée video below shows the six stages of an SOS Méditerranée rescue mission. Search, Coordination, Rescue, Boarding the Ocean Viking, Medical Care, and Delivery to a place of safety, per the provisions of International Maritime Law.
Migrants without life jackets are rescued from certain death on over-crowded boats, unfit to sail long distances on the Mediterranean, which run out of fuel, food and water.
References
Admirality Law
46 U.S. Code § 2304 - Duty to provide assistance at sea
Droit Martime
Code des transports : TITRE VI : SECOURS, ASSISTANCE EN MER ET EVENEMENTS DE MER ... (Articles L5262-1 à L5263-7)
SOS Méditerranée
https://sosmediterranee.org/
SOS Méditerranée - Droit maritime (Maritime Law)
https://sosmediterranee.fr/sauvetage-en-mediterranee/#sauvetage
SOS Méditerranée - Les sauvetages (rescue missions)
https://sosmediterranee.fr/categorie/sauvetages/
Staff (Sept. 2, 2015). Shocking image of drowned Syrian boy shows tragic plight of refugees. The Guardian.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/02/shocking-image-of-drowned-syrian-boy-shows-tragic-plight-of-refugees
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