MOAS Calls for Support on the One-Year Anniversary of Mediterranean’s Deadliest Day for Migrants
ON the one-year anniversary of a tragic accident where a boat with an estimated 850 people on board sank in the Mediterranean Sea, search and rescue charity Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS) calls for a renewed effort to support private efforts to prevent loss of life at sea.
On April 18 around midnight, a heavily overloaded wooden fishing boat overturned about 85 miles off Libya. The vessel went down within minutes taking with it hundreds of people stuck inside the hold and others who were unable to swim. Only 28 people survived and based on their testimony it is estimated that about 850 people were on board, making it the deadliest single incident at sea in the Mediterranean since World War II.
Europe reacted compassionately putting a silver lining on an otherwise dark day. But since then much of that compassion has been replaced with an increasingly hostile attitude to the plight of migrants and refugees. MOAS has always believed that no one deserves to die at sea
“The next few weeks could be fatal to hundreds more who will try their luck in the Strait of Sicily. Of particular concern are the first signs that vessels could start crossing again from Egypt headed for Italy. We must act quickly and decisively to make sure Europe avoids more deaths in the Mediterranean, which continued to happen well after April 18”, says co-founder Regina Catrambone.
To carry out this work, MOAS needs the support and donations of the public on which it depends. “We conceived MOAS as a means to inspire others to contribute to this great cause by any means possible. We need the public’s help to continue being out there making a difference to thousands of people risking their lives in search for a better future,” Regina Catrambone added. 
MOAS was founded in 2013 by Christopher and Regina Catrambone in Malta with a 40-metre fishing boat called the M.Y. Phoenix. The ship was converted into a modern search-and-rescue vessel with SAR medical and media support. Since then, with public support, the NGO expanded it’s work with an operation in the Aegean and South East Asia thanks to the support of many thousand donors all over the world. Since its inception, MOAS with the financial support of individuals, major donors and corporations has rescued and assisted more than 13,000 people at sea.
OCEANUSLive comment: It should be noted that reports have surfaced, including confirmation from the Italian Foreign Ministry, stating more than 400 people, fleeing from Somalia, Ethiopia and Eritrea, hoping to reach Italy, were drowned when their boat sank in the Mediterranean Sea, in Egyptian waters. Somali media reports say that rescue workers have only managed to save 29 people from the waters.
Donate to MOAS HERE
Contact: pr@moas.eu +356 79900097
Source: MOAS
Subscribe to our newsletter. Receive a weekly round-up of all piracy-related & maritime situational awareness news.
OCEANUSLive.org
Information, Security, Safety; Shared
Submitted by Team@oceanuslive.org