In Germany, Jewish Funds Help Keep Mediterranean Migrant Rescue Missions Afloat

[Hersir]

As thousands flee Africa on flimsy boats, just one ship operates in the area between Libya and Italy. A Jewish aid group is partnering up with others to help its operators


There is currently a single rescue ship operating in the central Mediterranean to aid the thousands of refugees and migrants attempting to cross on their own from northern Africa over to Europe, according to its operators.

The rescue ship, dubbed the Ocean Viking, set sail early last month from Marseilles. It is run by the nonprofit humanitarian organization SOS Mediterranee, and the Central Welfare Board of Jews in Germany has joined a number of other aid groups in supporting its efforts.

The Ocean Viking made headlines across Europe last month when, less than two weeks after its launch, it had already collected 356 migrants, mostly from Sudan, from boats in distress off the Libyan coast. Over capacity, the ship was then forced to idle in international waters for nearly two weeks as European countries reluctantly hashed out an agreement to absorb the asylum seekers.

BERLIN — There is currently a single rescue ship operating in the central Mediterranean to aid the thousands of refugees and migrants attempting to cross on their own from northern Africa over to Europe, according to its operators.

The rescue ship, dubbed the Ocean Viking, set sail early last month from Marseilles. It is run by the nonprofit humanitarian organization SOS Mediterranee, and the Central Welfare Board of Jews in Germany has joined a number of other aid groups in supporting its efforts.

The Ocean Viking made headlines across Europe last month when, less than two weeks after its launch, it had already collected 356 migrants, mostly from Sudan, from boats in distress off the Libyan coast. Over capacity, the ship was then forced to idle in international waters for nearly two weeks as European countries reluctantly hashed out an agreement to absorb the asylum seekers.

“It was August and the ship was extremely crowded, sitting in the middle of the water with the sun pounding down — it was unbearably hot,” David Starke, general director of SOS Mediterranee in Germany, told The Times of Israel.

“Conditions were very difficult on board, but for more than 10 days the ship was stuck in a standoff position between Italy and Malta as we waited for someone to grant it a port of safety,” Starke said.

“The ship wasn’t equipped to hold that many people, but we kept responding to distress calls because we could not refuse to help people in danger,” he said.

Eventually, six European countries — France, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, Portugal, and Romania — agreed to take those on board, and the Maltese navy brought them ashore.

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[velvet]

I dare to doubt it's the only trafficking service ship operating to import illegals from Africa. Btw, the Ocean Viking sails under Norwegian flag and is still owned by a Norwegian company.

There's another Eritrean guy residing (? at least operating) in Switzerland who organises "distribution" (Alarm-phone initiative there is only a German article, tells a thing or two, no?) of bipeds throughout Europe, taking calls from ships and directs the fake "washed ashore" arrivals to coast guard shipping services. Or are we to believe that shipwrecked bipeds swim from the med to the channel of Britain to get there? Probably not.

Would be really interesting to learn how many ships really operate there, because one only ever hears of 80 or 140 or max 200 "migrants" aboard such a ship, but there are thousands arriving each month. Do they all swim, paddle through the med in nutshells (and still all wear vests fresh from the package, hmm...) or what?

[SaxonPagan]

The expression 'tip of the iceberg' immediately comes to mind