OPERATION - 05 - 13 January 2025

The emails states the following:
Ocean Viking RHIBs assessed the situation of the boat: the blue wooden boat is unseaworthy, inapt for navigation in high seas, overcrowded with about 70 people on board, children, babies, 1 pregnant woman, strong fuel smell, very agitated, all exposed to the elements, no Life Saving Appliances available.
These people are requesting to be rescued.
Ocean Viking called via Sat Phone the JRCC Tripoli; No Answer.

The Ocean Viking is requested to leave the scene when the recovery is completed in arabic.

The email states the following:
Please be informed that Ocean Viking completed the recovery operation of the persons in distress. 101 shipwrecked persons have been safely brought on board Ocean Viking.

Empty wooden boat, blue color, left adrift.

At 10:30 Libyan coastguard calls Ocean Viking on VHF CH 16 about 4.5nm from MV Ocean Viking, Arabic speaker, asking to leave the scene as soon as the recovery is complete. Ocean Viking agreed on leaving the scene as soon as the recovery is completed.

Ocean Viking is requesting a Place of Safety (as defined in the Annex to the 1979 SAR Convention, paragraph 1.3.2 and in the IMO Resolution MSC.167(78)) to promptly disembark all 101 survivors who are currently on board.

The email states the following:
It is observed that adverse weather conditions are forecasted during the next days along the route from this vessel current position to RAVENNA, the POS assigned by Italian authorities.
This vessel is to face wave height over 2 mt on the voyage to RAVENNA, forcing this ship and the persons thereon to endure hardship, while delaying unnecessarily survivors' access to assistance & reception services on land.

Therefore, this vessel invites your RCC and the national competent authority to reassign the POS to a different port, the closest possible from MV Ocean Viking current position.
Please, find Meteomar weather forecast to support this request (METEOMAR 20250110 - 0600Z).

The email states the following:
The current weather conditions and the forecast during the next days along the route from this vessel current position to TARANTO, are adverse.
This vessel is already facing wave height up to of 2.5 m and wind gusting up to 34Kts.
This vessel, due to the wind and wave directions, is heavily rolling making live on board very uncomfortable.
From Crotone, the situation will worsen.
55% of survivors have already received treatment for seasickness with multiple requiring injections including two small children under the ages of ten.
This number will continue to rise with the medical team seeing survivors constantly throughout the morning.
This ship and the persons are forced to endure a minimum of other 36h of hardship, while delaying unnecessarily survivors' access to assistance & reception services on land.
Therefore, this vessel invites your RCC and the national competent authority to reassign the POS to a different port, the closest possible from MV Ocean Viking current position.
Ocean Viking remains at disposal for any further complementary request of information.