OPERATION - 22-28 August 2023

10:30 Ocean Viking leaves the port of Syracuse, Sicily. 

09:50 Ocean Viking spots an overcrowded wooden boat and an overcrowded rubber boat.

09:54 Ocean Viking calls via Sat Phone LYJRCC. No answer.

09:58 Ocean Viking calls via Sat Phone LYJRCC. No answer.

10:08 Ocean Viking sends an email to LYJRCC (MRCC, ITMRCC in CC) to report above situation.

10:12 Ocean Viking launches rescue boats and assesses the situation.

The wooden boat and the rubber boat are unseaworthy, inapt for navigation in high seas, overcrowded with about 80 people on board the wooden boat and about 120 people on board the rubber boat, including children, women all exposed to the elements, no Life Saving Appliances available.

10:31 Ocean Viking calls via Sat Phone LYJRCC. No answer.

10:32 Ocean Viking calls via Sat Phone LYJRCC. No answer.

10:35 Ocean Viking sends an email to LYJRCC (MTRCC, ITMRCC in CC) to report above situation.

10:48 Ocean Viking sends an email to LYJRCC (MTRCC, IMRCC in CC) to report RHIBs assessment and initiation of recovery of the persons in distress.

11:19 Ocean Viking calls LYJRCC to inform about the situation. No answer.

11:32 Evacuation of 110 survivors from an overcrowded rubber boat and 113 survivors from an overcrowded wooden boat onto Ocean Viking is completed. 

Latitude: 33.483
Longitude: 12.383

11:44 Ocean Viking sends an email to LYJRCC to report completion of survivors recovery and request a Place of Safety.

12:08 Ocean Viking is in copy of an email sent to relevant authorities by Sea Watch – Airborne alerting to a boat in distress (DC1703) with approx. 50 people on board without Life-Saving equipment.

12:23 Ocean Viking calls via Sat Phone LYJRCC. No answer.

12:23 Ocean Viking calls LYJRCC via Sat Phone. No answer.

12:24 Ocean Viking calls via Sat Phone LYJRCC. No answer.

12:34 Ocean Viking sends an email to LYJRCC (MTRCC, ITMRC in CC) to inform of Ocean Viking response to the alert and request Rescue Coordination Centres to provide SAR action plan.

12:46 Ocean Viking calls via Sat Phone LYJRCC. No Answer.

12:50 Ocean Viking sends an email to LYJRCC (MTRCC, ITMRCC in CC) to report above situation and to inform that rescue boats are going to be launched for closer assessment.

12:55 Ocean Viking RHIBs assess the situation.

The wooden boat is unseaworthy, inapt fornavigation in high seas, overcrowded with about 50 people on board, including children, women, all exposed to the elements, no Life Saving Appliances available, no fuel left onboard.These people are requiring to be rescued

13:00 Ocean Viking calls via Sat Phone LYJRCC.

No English-speaking person. Ocean Viking is instructed to wait for an asset to come. No further information. OV informs Tripoli JRCC that the boat in distress is about to capsize.

13:09 Ocean Viking calls via Sat Phone ITMRCC. Answer is to hold the line but no answer back.

13:15 Ocean Viking calls ITMRCC to report about the situation and asks for instructions.

13:42 Ocean Viking sends an email to LYJRCC (MTRCC, ITMRCC in CC) to report above situation.

13:47 Libyan Coast Guard Patrol Vessel Fezzan 658 in sight

Ocean Viking starts to call LYCG on VHF Ch16. Two times in English and then in Arabic.

14:00 Libyan Coast Guard Patrol Vessel, Fezzan 658, arrives on site and stops 1 NM away from Ocean Viking.

14:01 Libyan Coast Guard Patrol Vessel, Fezzan 658, replies after 15th call from Ocean Viking on VHF16.

Ocean Viking reports the situation, that the boat in distress is about to capsize, that Ocean Viking has already the RHIBs in the water ready to provide first assistance and medical means onboard for further assistance if needed.

14:01 Libyan Coast Guard Patrol Vessel, Fezzan 658, starts to move away from the scene without giving any instructions.

14:09 Ocean Viking calls ITMRCC to report above situation.

ITMRCC asks if Libyan Coast Guard has provided any instruction to Ocean Viking.

14:10 Libyan Coast Guard Patrol Vessel, Fezzan 658 grants authorization to recover the persons in distress.

14:12 Ocean Viking reports the above situation to ITMRCC.

ITMRCC acknowledges the information that Libyan Coast Guard confirmed that Ocean Viking can proceed with the rescue.

14:20 Ocean Viking completes the recovery of 49 survivors.

Latitude: 33.5
Longitude: 12.25

14:37 Ocean Viking sends an email to LYJRCC (MTRCC, ITMRCC in CC) to report about the situation and to ask for intructions.

18:24 Ocean Viking receives an email from ITMRCC designating Genoa as the place of safety for the survivors on board.

03:57 Ocean Viking, while on route towards Place of Safety in Genoa, spots an overcrowded small wooden boat

04:14 Ocean Viking calls ITMRCC to report and seek instructions. From here onwards, all SAR operations coordinated by ITMRCC / ITCGs assets on scene (CP940Nave Dattilo, CP285 and CP327) and communicated by Ocean Viking prior each step of the rescues.

04:55 Ocean Viking completes the recovery of 14 people in distress from a small unseaworthy wooden boat.

Latitude: 35.0266
Longitude: 12.015

05:35 Ocean Viking completes the recovery of 43 people in distress from an unseaworthy iron boat.

07:35 Ocean Viking completes the recovery of 20 people in distress from an unseaworthy wooden boat.

Latitude: 35.3
Longitude: 12.2005

09:15 Ocean Viking completes the recovery of 31 people in distress from an unseaworthy iron boat.

Latitude: 35.0273
Longitude: 12.0183

09:49 Ocean Viking receives an email from ITMRCC with instruction to head towards the Place of Safety upon completion of SAR operation as instructed by CG PV DATTILO. At this time, MV Ocean Viking is still engaged in SAR operations

11:32 ITMRCC sends an email to Ocean Viking with instruction to head towards the Place of Safety. At this time, Ocean Viking is still engaged in SAR Operations with distress cases in close proximity, unseaworthy boats at risk of sinking and capsizing at any moment, while no other asset is in this area to promptly assist.

12:48 CP327 arrived on scene performs the recovery of the persons in distress on board the small wooden boat found by Ocean Viking.

12:50 Ocean Viking completes the recovery of 42 people in distress from an unseaworthy rubber boat.

Latitude: 35.273
Longitude: 12.018

13:09 Ocean Viking completes the recovery of 18 people in distress from an small unseaworthy wooden boat.

Latitude: 35.0273
Longitude: 12.00183

13:09 Upon completion of recovery of persons in distress from open SAR cases in close proximity,and with CP327 in the area, Ocean Viking recovers the RHIBs in position and resumes voyage to Genoa as PoS and sends an email to ITMRCC to acknowledge instruction and report that navigation is resumed towards the POS Genoa.

13:13 ITMRCC calls Ocean Viking to request to provide total number of PoB and to reply to PoS email sent by MRCC on 24/08/2023 with updated information.

20:20 ITMRCC calls Ocean Viking with new instructions to proceed to Vibo Valentia.