OPERATION – 02 - 13 November 2024

21:00 Ocean Viking leaves Civitavecchia.

05:11 Ocean Viking receives a distress alert by VHF from aircraft Eagle 1.

The distress alert states: “Mayday Relay Mayday Relay Mayday Relay, this is EAGLE 1, EAGLE 1 EAGLE 1, boat in distress in position 33 41 N 013 50 E, about 30 people on board”

05:30 Ocean Viking calls JRCC Tripoli via Sat Phone. No answer.

05:41 Ocean Viking emails JRCC Tripoli (ITMRCC and MRCC Malta in cc) about the Mayday relay.

06:15 Ocean Viking spots an overcrowded wooden boat.

06:47 Ocean Viking calls JRCC Tripoli. No answer.

07:17 Ocean Viking emails JRCC Tripoli (MRCC Malta, ITMRCC in cc) to inform about the situation.

The email states the ascertainment of the distress phase, as the persons on board are threatened by grave and imminent danger of being lost and require immediate assistance.
RCCs are informed that Ocean Viking will proceed to the assistance of these persons in distress, while keeping competent RCCs duly informed.

08:00 Ocean Viking completes the recovery of 140 shipwrecked people.

Latitude: 33.8855556
Longitude: 13.135

08:02 Ocean Viking emails JRCC Tripoli (ITMRCC, MRCC Malta in cc) to inform about the rescue and to request a Place of Safety.

10:16 Ocean Viking receives an email from ITMRCC, assigning the port of Genova as the Place of Safety.

10:20 Ocean Viking calls ITMRCC va Sat Phone.

Ocean Viking informs ITMRCC that when receiving Genoiva as the palce of safety, Ocean Viking was engaged in a SAR operation of another distress case, searching for a white rubber boat with about 30 people, according to the description received on channel VHF 16 by the Mayday Relay of an aircraft.
Therefore, Ocean Viking is not able to provide an ETA to Genova before the SAR Operation described above is not terminated. The duty officer acknowledges the information and instructs Ocean Viking to advise the ITMRCC as soon the SAR operation is completed.

10:59 Ocean Viking emails ITMRCC to acknowledge Genova as the Place of Safety.

12:48 Ocean Viking receives a distress alert by VHF from an unknown asset.

The distress alert states:
“Mayday Relay Mayday Relay Mayday Relay, white rubber boat in distress in position 34 24 N 013 48 E,
required immediate assistance”.
This distress position matches with the position of the Mayday Relay by EAGLE1.

12:58 Ocean Viking calls JRCC Tripoli via Sat Phone. No Answer.

13:08 Ocean Viking emails JRCC Tripoli (ITMRCC and MRCC Malta in cc) to update about the situation.

13:23 Ocean Viking emails MRCC Malta (ITMRCC in cc) to inform that the distress case is now in the Maltese SRR.

13:50 Ocean Viking makes a first assessment from the bridge.

Ocean Viking observes that the white rubber boat is unseaworthy, inapt for navigation in high seas, overcrowded with about 30 people on board, including children, women, all exposed to the elements, no Life Saving Appliances available, the occupants are waiving arms signalling distress and request of assistance.

13:50 Ocean Viking calls MRCC Malta via Sat Phone. No answer.

14:08 Ocean Viking emails MRCC Malta (ITMRCC, JRCC Tripoli in cc).

The email states:
It is ascertained that the distress phase exists as the persons on board are threatened by grave and imminent danger of being lost and require immediate assistance.
This is a case of force majeure (ref.SOLAS Art. IV (b)) imposing to retrieve persons in danger of being lost at sea, as stipulated by the relevant International Maritime Conventions, therefore Ocean Viking proceed to the assistance of these persons in distress.

14:44 The RHIBs assess the situation. The rubber boat is unseaworthy, inapt for navigation in high seas, overcrowded, including children, women, all exposed to the elements, no Life Saving Appliances available.

15:00 Ocean Viking calls MRCC Malta via Sat Phone and informs the duty officer that Ocean Viking proceeds to the rescue of the people in distress. The duty officer confirms and acknowledge all the information and asks for a final report by email.

15:25 Ocean Viking completes the recovery of 38 shipwrecked people

Latitude: 34.5666667
Longitude: 13.8

15:28 Ocean Viking emails MRCC Malta (ITMRCC, JRCC Tripoli in cc) to inform about the completed rescue operation.

15:30 Ocean Viking calls ITMRCC informing about the completed rescue. The duty officer acknowledges the information and informs about a distress case close to the Ocean Viking. The duty officer request to assist the distress case. Ocean Viking informs of the intention to heading to the distress case received by ITRMCC.

15:30 Ocean Viking calls ITMRCC via Sat Phone and informs about the rescue. The officer informs the Ocean Viking about a distress case close to her and requests to assist the distress case.

16:17 Ocean Viking receives a call from ITMRCC, requesting information and shares an updated position for the distress case

17:34 Ocean Viking spots a fiberglass boat.

Ocean Viking observes the following:
the boat is unseaworthy, inapt for navigation in high seas, overcrowded with about 7 people on board, all exposed to the elements, no Life Saving Appliances available; the occupants are waiving arms signaling distress and request of assistance.

17:40 Ocean Viking calls MRCC Malta by Sat Phone to inform about the situation. MRCC Malta requests the information by email.

17:43 Ocean Viking emails MRCC Malta to inform about the situation.

18:15 Ocean Viking completes the recovery of 7 shipwrecked people.

Latitude: 34.3833333
Longitude: 13.683333333333334

18:28 Ocean Viking emails MRCC Malta (ITMRCC in cc) to inform about the completion of the rescue operation and requesting a Place of Safety to promptly disembark all 185 survivors who are currently onboard.

18:30 Ocean Viking calls ITMRCC via Sat Phone to inform about the previously send email. ITMRCC confirms Genova as the Place of Safety.

05:37 Ocean Viking is at berth in Genova.

07:50 Disembarkation of the 185 survivors starts.

12:46 Disembarkation is complete.

22:19 Ocean Viking leaves Genova.

22:47 Ocean Viking is moored in Syracuse.