Key operational data regarding our Search and Rescue operations are available for consultation on the interactive map. Each operation is geographically positioned on the map by a marker. By selecting the marker, detailed information is provided among which: the vessel involved, the date and duration of the operation, the number of people rescued, the port of departure and of safety, general health observations on the situation onboard, the sea route that the ship has followed.
The operational data are shared through several graphs highlighting some key information including: overall numbers of people rescued and of operations carried out, how the rescue operations are initiated, the involvement of each vessel, and the designated ports of safety we are instructed to disembark at.
In late 2016, the Search and Rescue operations were accused of being a “pull factor” for migrants and refugees to attempt dangerous sea journeys and of “deteriorating maritime safety” by increasing deaths and missing in the central Mediterranean.
In view of these accusations, MSF carried out an analysis of the available data on attempted sea crossings including numbers of arrivals, deaths, and missing people in the Central Mediterranean.
Find out more about the main findings of the research by reading the full report or its issue brief.
Ocean Viking is currently sailing under the flag of Norway. It is 69 metres in length and 15.5 metres long. It is fully equipped to perform search and rescue with four high speed rescue boats, as well as a medical clinic with consultation, triage and recovery rooms. The ship can take up to 200 survivors on board.
The Aquarius operated under the flag of Gibraltar. On board there were three different crews: the nautical and technical crew, the rescue crew from Sos Méditerranée and the medical crew from MSF. It had the capacity to take on board up to 500 rescued people.
The Prudence, sailing under the flag of Italy, was operationally active from March 2017 to October 2017 and run solely by MSF. The vessel had the capacity to transport up to 750 people with contingency for other 400. It had 13 MSF staff members on board in charge of medical activities and rescues, and 17 non-MSF nautical and technical crew tasked primarily with the navigation and maintenance of the ship.
The ship provided search and rescue support from May 2015 to November 2016 under the flag of Luxembourg. The vessel had the capacity to carry 300 – 350 rescued people. The MSF crew on board was in charge of medical activities and rescue.
The MSF ship Dignity I ran search and rescue operations from 2015 to 2016. All the crew on board was MSF. The vessel had the capacity to carry 300 rescued people, and was sailing under the flag of Panama.
From May to October 2015, the Phoenix, run by the Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS), had an MSF medical team of two doctors and a nurse on board to provide humanitarian medical aid. The ship was sailing under the flag of Norway.