This operation saved 68 Somali migrants off Malta Saturday the 14th of January. Forty three of the shipwrecked were picked up by MV Verona's crew.
At 21:37 (UTC) on the 14th of January 2012, MV Verona received a distress relay message from Malta’s Rescue Co-ordination Centre (RCC Malta). A US Navy P3 Orion aircraft had spotted a 40-foot long white rubber dinghy caught in a high swell in Force 4 to 5 conditions 59 nautical miles South-South-West of Malta.
The Captain onboard MV Verona, Captain Syed Belayet Hossain and his crew, immediately altered course and headed to the distressed vessel's position for search and rescue operations. As the dinghy was not equipped with any GMDSS or communication equipment, the search was a challenge.
Finally, with the guidance of the US aircraft, the distressed boat was spotted. MV Verona manoeuvred and brought the survival craft alongside and 43 survivors taken onboard by pilot ladder. An additional 25 survivors was picked up by a Maltese patrol boat that was also part of the search and rescue mission. All survivors were migrants from Somalia and had left Libya in the 40-foot dinghy in the hope of a better life in Europe.
All 68 survivors on the raft, including 9 women and small children were cold and shivering, covered in their wet clothing. They had been floating on high seas without fuel, food and warm clothes for the past 5 days. When rescued, the outside air temperature was approximately 10 degrees celsius and hypothermia had set in. One of the Somalians had died of hypothermia the previous night.
After providing the refugees with warm clothing, blankets, first aid treatment and food, MV Verona set course for Valetta where all 43 rescued migrants were handed over to Marsaxlokk Port authority on Sunday the 15th of January. All the survivors were safe.
“We would like to congratulate the Master of MV Verona, Capt Syed Belayet, and our crew for taking an active and professional part in the search and rescue operation and for properly caring for the 43 survivors” says Simon Stevens, Chairman of Siem Car Carriers, “and we would also like to commend our ship manager for competently overseeing the operation.”
MV Verona is a 12,743 dwt car carrier. She was en route from Port of Al-Khums, Libya to Port of Sheerness, United Kingdom before she diverted for the rescue operation off Malta.