800 refugees desperate to disembark rescue ships in Med
Overcrowded rescue vessels waiting to be granted permission to put hundreds of refugees
Two refugee rescue vessels are trapped at sea and waiting to be given permission to disembark over 800 rescued refugees.
The converted ocean-going tug Ocean Viking and the 48-year-old supply ship Sea Watch 3 are both at full capacity and desperate to be granted safe port by a European Mediterranean state.
Both vessels took to the high seas again at the end of July and were able to effect 11 rescues of migrants boats and deal with several medical emergencies.
“In this heat on the confined space on deck, the situation can only get worse day after day,” says Luisa Albera, search and rescue coordinator onboard Ocean Viking.
“Today marks the fourth day of the Ocean Viking is waiting for a place of safety in international waters of the central Mediterranean with 553 survivors on board and no solution for their disembarkation in sight,” wrote SOS Mediterranee in a statement yesterday.
