NGO MOAS, MSF redeploy rescue operation in central Mediterranean

Malta-based NGO Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS) redeployed its rescue and medical aid operation in the central Mediterranean between Africa and Europe on Saturday, together with Medecins Sans Frontieres/Doctors Without Borders (MSF), which will take care of the post-rescue care of migrants taken on board.

The life-saving operation will run from May to October, when thousands of people are expected to risk their lives attempting to reach safe haven in Europe.

The MSF emergency medical team on board a 40-meter boat M.Y. Phoenix, comprising two doctors and a nurse, will have the necessary skills, equipment, and medications to treat a wide range of conditions from sunburn and dehydration to resuscitation and advanced life support.

Staff will also offer primary health consultations, treatment for chronic illnesses like diabetes and heart disease, and obstetric services, including safe delivery as required.

Last year, MOAS conducted a 60-day mission of a highly-experienced team of rescuers and paramedics on a M.Y. Phoenix, including two drones and two lifeboats, with some 3,000 lives saved.

It has so far been funded solely by the young Malta-based Italo-American couple Christopher and Regina Catrambone in their 30s. However, the humanitarian project requires around 400,000 euros (448,020 U.S. dollars) per month of operations, and the mission is also calling on public's participation.

The Mediterranean Sea has in the last two decades witnessed the drowning of more than 20,000 migrants, most of whom took off from Libyan coast in overcrowded, unseaworthy boats coordinated by traffickers. Endit