Maersk Tankers has repeated its plea for governments to find a home for 27 migrants rescued by one its ships more than a month ago after three carried out a threat to jump overboard.
The three migrants have since been rescued by the crew on the 36,900-dwt Maersk Etienne (built 2014), which has found itself at the centre of an international row over which country should take the migrants.
“The crew acted quickly and the recovered persons are now being given due care. We continue to plead for urgent humanitarian assistance for the 27 migrants stranded aboard Etienne,” Maersk Tankers said in a Tweet.
However, the incident is another clear indication that the situation is nearing crisis point as supplies run low and the migrants become increasingly desperate to go ashore.
Maersk Tankers had earlier said one of the migrants had told the ship’s master that some of the rescued persons were considering jumping overboard.
The ship’s master Volodymyr Yeroshkin said that the men and women onboard his ship, one of which is pregnant, are becoming increasingly frustrated.
“They are anxious to disembark, they want to get in touch with their loved ones and families,” he said.
The European Court of Human Rights had earlier turned down a request for the migrants to be brought to Malta.
Italy has also refused to take the migrants. Malta has also argued that Denmark, where the Maersk Etienne is registered, has a responsibility to take the crew.
Maersk Tankers chief technical officer Tommy Thomassen told TradeWinds: “Our people, our captain they’re actually heroes. They rescued 27 people that would otherwise have drowned. We are just asking for help to resolve this situation now.”
The Maersk Etienne is anchored 33 km east of the Maltese capital of Valletta.
“It’s sad that such a noble cause by the master and crew and company is causing them to face such an ordeal,” former master mariner Rahul Varma tweeted.
More joint efforts needed
In a joint statement, the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), United Nations Refugee Agency and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) have called for the immediate disembarkation of those migrants via joint efforts.
The international bodies said the refusal of governments to allow the refuges to come ashore is in contravention of international law.
“The absence of a clear, safe, and predictable disembarkation mechanism for people rescued in the Mediterranean, continues to pose avoidable risk to life,” said IOM Director General Antonio Vitorino.
“IOM and UNHCR have long called on states to move away from the current ad hoc approach and establish a scheme whereby coastal states take equal responsibility in providing a port of safety,” Vitorino added.
That would need to be followed by a “show of solidarity” from other European Union members, Vitorino added.
UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said: “Rescue at sea is a basic humanitarian imperative…The Maersk Etienne has fulfilled its maritime obligations and prevented further death in the Mediterranean.
“The EU and its Member States must now do their part to complete this life saving rescue by allowing those rescued to be disembarked, and should also show some solidarity amongst states, particularly through an effective and predictable relocation mechanism.”
The IMO is asked to intervene
Maritime conventions have placed clear obligations on ships and coastal states to ensure people in distress are rescued and promptly disembarked in a place of safety.
But there have been frequent reports pf merchant vessels stranded at sea after saving migrants from drowning due to the refusal of national governments for disembarkation.
In July, the 3,200-dwt singledecker Talia (built 1980) took out four days of its scheduled journey to care for 50 refugees in in the Mediterranean.
The ICS has called on the International Maritime Organization to urgently intervene and “send a clear message” that states must ensure that maritime search and rescue incidents are resolved in accordance with “the letter and spirit of international law”.
“The conditions are rapidly deteriorating onboard, and we can no longer sit by while governments ignore the plight of these people,” said ICS secretary general Guy Platten.
“This is not the first time that this has happened, and we need governments to live up to their obligations. Time is running out and the responsibility for these people’s safety and security rests squarely with government ministers.”
He said the situation is not a Covid-19 matter, but rather a humanitarian issue.
“The shipping industry takes its legal and humanitarian obligations to assist people in distress at sea extremely seriously, and has worked hard to ensure that ships are as prepared as they can be when presented with the prospect of large-scale rescues at sea. However, merchant vessels are not designed or equipped for this purpose, and states need to play their part,” Platten said.
In an emailed statement, an IMO spokeswoman stressed that governments have clear obligations to step up based on international conventions and the UN body’s guidelines but did not name any responsible parties.
“We are monitoring the situation,” she said.
