Posted on: 8 October 2020
Marine P&I provider Gard’s Per Fredrik Jensen, Senior Claims Executive and Bjørg Eikeland, Senior Claims Adviser say in an article published by the Club that migrants continue to put their lives at risk to make their way across the Mediterranean to Europe in hope of a better future.
The small boats are crowded with people. Often the rafts are in bad condition on the verge of sinking. Fortunate migrants are rescued by merchant vessels or by Non-Government Organizations (NGO) vessels. An unknown number of migrants do not make it – they drown at sea. The situation is a human tragedy which needs to be addressed on the political level, but it is also represents a major problem for shipowners as experienced by our member Maersk Tankers A/S.
The authors describe the rescue operation of 27 migrants undertaken by the 37,000 DW Danish flag tanker Maersk Etienne on 4 September 2020, honouring the ship’s obligations under SOLAS and saving lives, then detailing the difficulties that followed of finding a solution and a safe port to disembark the migrants, who remained onboard the vessel until 11 September, emphasising that commercial ship operators continue to face significant challenges in connection with rescue of migrants in the Mediterranean Sea.
Read the full article here.
