OPERATION - 17 March-4 April 2023

SITUATION RECAP

All times are in UTC +1.

On March 17, Ocean Viking leaves the port of Syracuse, Sicily.

On March 25, Ocean Viking was alerted to a boat in distress in International waters off Libya by civil emergency hotline Alarm Phone. While proceeding to the distress case, the Libyan coastguard patrol vessel 656 arrived on the scene, dangerously approaching Ocean Viking. All attempts by the Bridge’s team to contact the Libyan coastguard vessel via VHF went unanswered while the crew of the Libyan coastguard patrol vessel started behaving aggressively, threatening with guns and firing gunshots in the air.

As the safety of the crew was under threat,  Ocean Viking sailed away from the scene at full speed, while the Libyan coastguard continued to fire shots. Civil surveillance aircraft Seabird 2, operated by the NGO Sea Watch, monitored the distress case.

On April 1, Ocean Viking evacuated 92 shipwrecked people from a rubber boat in distress in the Libyan Search and Rescue Region. Shortly after, ITMRCC designated Salerno, Italy, as a place of safety for the 92 survivors onboard Ocean Viking.

On April 4, the 92 survivors onboard Ocean Viking disembark in Salerno.

March 17, 2023

08:30 Ocean Viking leaves the port of Syracuse, Sicily.

March 18, 2023

14:00 Ocean Viking starts drills at sea.
16:18 Drills completed.
19:36 Ocean Viking starts drills at sea.
20:36 Drills completed.

March 25, 2023

Ocean Viking in position 33 18,40N 013 52,90E receives the following information from Watch The Med – Alarm Phone: “GPS-position with timestamp: N 332145 E 0134556 @ 08:40 CET 25 March. 70-84 people (including 5 women, and 3 children) Water is entering, the rubber boat is starting to deflate.”

Ocean Viking in position 33 18.4 N 013 52.9 E sends the following email to the maritime authority:

“Dear Sirs, Madams,

At 0740Z Ocean Viking, in position 33 18.4N 013 52.9E, received by email the attached distress alert from Alarm Phone (see email below)

MV Ocean Viking is proceeding towards the Target, about 7NM away, ready to provide first assistance.

MV Ocean Viking COG 296

MV Ocean Viking will keep you informed.

Please acknowledge receipt of this message and inform of your SAR action plan.

Best regards

Bridge

Ocean Viking”

09:15 Ocean Viking as a visual on a LYCG Patrol Vessel 656 sailing high speed towards the boat in distress.
09:22 Ocean Viking receives a VHF calls from the aircraft Seabird 2 from Sea-Watch.Org informing that they are heading to the boat in distress.
09:25 Ocean Viking has a visual on the boat in distress.
09:29 Ocean Viking calls LYCG Patrol Vessel 656 on VHF ch16 in English and in Arabic multiple times. No Answer.
09:33 Ocean Viking continues to call LYCG Patrol Vessel 656 on VHF ch16. No Answer.

Ocean Viking in position 33 22.8N 013 47.7E

09:40 Ocean Viking continues to call LYCG Patrol Vessel 656 on VHF ch16. No Answer.
09:45 Ocean Viking continues to call multiple times LYCG Patrol Vessel 656 on VHF ch16. No Answer.
09:48 Ocean Viking calls LYCG Patrol Vessel 656 on VHF ch16 to ask for its intention and inform that the boat in distress has a sponson that is deflating and need to be rescued without delay. No Answer.

Ocean Viking in position 33 25.0N 013 46.8E

09:55 LYCG Patrol Vessel 656 contacts Ocean Viking on VHF ch16 in Arabic language ordering to sail to 034 direction, declaring Ocean Viking was in ‘Libyan waters’ despite current position being in international waters (36NM NE of Tripoli). Ocean Viking increases speed and replies, in Arabic, to LYCG Patrol Vessel 656 via VHF ch16 to keep clear as leaving the area.
09:58 Ocean Viking maneuvering towards direction 034 with 11.7Kts. Ocean Viking crew has not been injured during the gun shots. Seabird 2 still flying on scene of distress case.

Ocean Viking in position 33 35.0N 013 55.6E

“Dear Sirs, Madams,

Please find attached the Maritime Incident Report of the event occurred to the MV Ocean Viking in the LYSRR on the 25th march 2023.

MV Ocean Viking position at 1534Z: 33 43N 013 19E

Please acknowledge receipt of this message.

Best regards

Bridge

Ocean Viking

April 1, 2023

Ocean Viking in position 33 58N 012 37E. There is a reasonable certainty that the persons on board the boat are threatened by grave and imminent danger of being lost at sea and require immediate assistance.

15:47 Ocean Viking calls via VHF CH16 the Bouri oil field multiple times, no answer. Ocean Viking calls via VHF CH16 Almisan to ask permission for entering the No Go Area as the boat in distress was on the edge of it. No answer from Almisan.
16:07 Ocean Viking sends an email to Tripoli JRCC (with ITMRCC, MTRCC, and the Norwegian Maritime Authority in copy) to report the distress situation and to inform that Ocean Viking RHIBs are going to be launched as soon we have the greenlight for closer assessment.

Ocean Viking in position 33 54.8N 012 34.7E. The rubber boat is inapt for navigation in high seas, overcrowded with about 100 shipwrecked people on board, sponsons are deflating, all shipwrecked people exposed to the elements, without lifejackets. It is ascertained that the distress phase exists as the persons on board are threatened by grave and imminent danger of being lost and require immediate assistance.

16:42 Ocean Viking sends an email to Tripoli JRCC (with ITMRCC, MTRCC, and the Norwegian Maritime Authority in copy) to report the distress situation.
16:53 Ocean Viking Rhibs starts the evacuation of the people in distress from the rubber boat.

Ocean Viking in position 33 54.5N 012 34.1E

Latitude: 33.54
Longitude: 12.34
17:36 Ocean Viking sends an email to Tripoli JRCC (with ITMRCC, MTRCC, and the Norwegian Maritime Authority in copy) to inform that Ocean Viking completed the recovery operation of the persons in distress.

(as defined in the Annex to the 1979 SAR Convention, paragraph 1.3.2 and in the IMO Resolution MSC.167(78))

18:15 Ocean Viking receives an email from ITMRCC designating Salerno, Italy, as Place of Safety for the 92 survivors onboard.
20:25 Ocean Viking sends the Maritime Incident Report with the timeline of events and the medical report to Tripoli JRCC, with the Norwegian Maritime Authority, ITMRCC and RCC Malta in copy. Ocean Viking also informs about the ETA to Salerno Harbour, confirmed by telephone to ITMRCC duty officer at 1832UTC as ship’s email system had a technical problem.

April 2, 2023

17:37 Ocean Viking sends an email to ITMRCC to update the ETA in Salerno due to weather condition.

April 4, 2023

08:15 Disembarkation of the 92 survivors onboard Ocean Viking starts in Salerno.
10:11 Disembarkation complete.
12:28 Ocean Viking leaves the port of Salerno, Italy.