OPERATION - 27 March 2024

05:50 Ocean Viking leaves the anchorage in the port of Syracuse.

15:24 Seabird 2 sends a MAYDAY RELAY to all ships and aircrafts about a wooden boat in distress with about 15 people on board.

15:33 Ocean Viking calls Libya JRCC via Satellite Phone. No answer.

15:34 Ocean Viking sends an email to JRCC Libya (with RCC Malta, ITMRCC in copy) explaining she is proceeding towards the target, about 20NM away, ready to provide first assistance.

15:37 Ocean Viking is in copy of an email sent by Seabird 2 to the competent authorities, with an update of a distress case.

– white wooden boat with black and yellow stripes
– apx. 10-15 people on board
– Course over Ground: 020
– Speed over ground: 3-4 Kts
– Only a few people wear life vests

16:56 Ocean Viking calls LCG patrol vessel via VHF to ask about the boat in distress. The LCG patrol vessel confirms to has tranfer all people from the boat in distress on board of their vessel.

16:56 Ocean Viking has a visual on a LCG patrol vessel intercepting the distress case.

Latitude: 34.1833333
Longitude: 11.833333333333334

08:36 Ocean Viking has a visual on an LCG patrol Vessel intercepting a rubber boat.

Latitude: 33.9691667
Longitude: 12.260277777777778

07:51 Ocean Viking receives a distress alert by Watch the Med Alarm Phone via email about a boat in distress.

08:11 Ocean Viking emails JRCC Libya ((ITMRCC and RCC Malta in cc) to report about the distress alert and that Ocean Viking is proceeding to the location.

09:06 Ocean Viking spots the boat in distress 1,1 NM away.

Ocean Viking observes: the wooden boat is unseaworthy, inapt for navigation in high seas, overcrowded, exposed to the elements, no Life Saving Appliances available

09:10 Ocean Viking emails the relevant authorities to inform them about the RHIBs assessment.

09:28 Ocean Viking completes the recovery of the persons in distress. 55 shipwrecked persons have been evacuated onto the Ocean Viking.

09:42 Ocean Viking emails JRCC Libya (ITMRCC and RCC Malta in cc) to inform about the rescue.

09:48 Libyan Coast Guard Patrol Vessel 656 arrives on scene, maintaining a safe distance from the Ocean Viking. Ocean Viking tries to contact via WHF without success.

09:57 Libyan Coast Guard Patrol Vessel instructs Ocean Viking to go north. Ocean Viking complies.

10:45 Ocean Viking receives email from ITMRCC assigning Livorno as a Place of Safety for the 55 survivors onboard Ocean Viking.

11:46 The disembarkation of 55 survivors in the port of Livorno is complete.