An explosion of joy, but a bitter aftertaste. The humanitarian ship Ocean Viking received authorization on Sunday to disembark 180 migrants in Sicily, causing a scene jubilation among the survivors, but the tensions of the past few days have left indelible marks.
Posted on July 5 2020 at 15 h 57
Shahzad ABDUL
France Media Agency
“We have received instructions from the Italian maritime authorities to disembark the survivors on board at Porto Empedocle (southern Sicily). The ship is currently underway towards this port which we expect to reach by tomorrow (Monday) morning, “explained her SOS Mediterranean charterer to AFP, a journalist of whom is on board.
On the deck of the ambulance boat, which had collected on board these Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, North Africans or even Ghanaians during four operations the 25 and 30 June, the announcement sparked hugs, applause, songs, and selfies, which have made them forget for a few minutes the extreme tension which reigned there, to the point that the Ocean Viking had to be placed in a state of emergency on Friday, a first.
“We are very happy! We come from afar, Libya was hell and now we finally see the end. I look forward to being able to tell my family that I am alive ”, exults Rabiul, 27 years old, from Bangladesh, country no longer shown on board.
On the ship, the migrants dance, draw “Thanks Ocean Viking” on their t-shirts, jump into the arms of the SOS Mediterranean crew members who, a few days earlier, were threatened with assault by a minority of them, who also had no hesitation in jumping overboard as a sign of hopelessness after more than a week of blocking at sea.
“It was not easy,” concedes Emmanuel, a Ghanaian 32 who condemns and wants to forget these episodes . “Today is a great joy. SOS Mediterranean saved our lives and gave us back a hope that we had lost, “he explains, dropping his tom-tom for a moment.
“Now, a second life is opening up before us, after all that we have known in Libya. Thanks to Italy for giving us the second, and to SOS for saving the first, “he says.
Quarantine
Around the tom-tom too, the crowd of North Africans and other groups contrasts with the racial tensions of the last few days. Besides, right behind them, black Africans felt the need to put up a drawing on which we can read “Black Lives Matter” … subtitled in Arabic.
Upon arrival in Sicily, these 180 people will be transferred “on board Moby Zaza”, a ferry docked in the port of Porto Empedocle to be placed in quarantine for two weeks, the Italian Interior Ministry said on Sunday.
Barely fifteen minutes after the announcement of the landing, the wait for which had caused so much tension, calm had already returned to the boat.
“I have never seen a party that ends so quickly after this kind of announcement, they are exhausted,” says Maggie, head of humanitarian affairs.
“It's a relief”, sums up Charlie, a Swedish lifeguard, who sums up the feeling of the small team of 22 members of SOS Mediterranean. Tensions were such that it was not uncommon in recent days to find some of them crying, in a corridor, or, exhausted, asleep on deck during rounds which were doubled in because of security concerns.
Nicholas Romaniuk, head of rescue operations on board, says it is the first time that he has decided “not to lower his guard until the people are disembarked”.
“We will be relieved when it is done. For the moment, we must remain attentive. The psychological problems of some remain the same. So we maintain vigilance, ”he explains.
Left Monday from Marseille, his home port in the south of France where he had been moored for three months due to the health crisis linked to the coronavirus, the resumption of activity at Ocean Viking took place in a context of strong recovery in crossings of the central Mediterranean.
“We thought that the most difficult would be to manage the Covid” during this mission, smiles a sailor. “And here we are in a state of emergency. “