maltatoday | SUNDAY • 3 APRIL 2022
EYEWITNESS
14
On Monday afternoon, 28 March
2022, the crew of the merchant
ship Karina, under the com-
mand of the Ukrainian captain
Vasyl Maksymenko, saved 32
people fleeing from drowning
in international waters off Libya.
The merchant ship of a German
shipping company was on its
way from Malta to Benghazi
when it was made aware of the
distress call at sea by the aid or-
ganization Alarm Phone.
At that time, the rescue charity
boat Sea-Eye 4 SEA was around
50 hours away from the emer-
gency and was unable to pro-
vide any immediate assistance.
"The boat was in grave danger
of capsizing. The people aboard
wouldn't have survived that.
The waves had already reached
four meters since their depar-
ture. They would not have been
able to get anywhere on their
own," says Vasyl Maksymenko,
captain of the Karina.
Shipowner Thies Klingenberg
was immediately aware of the
difficult situation. "It's not the
first time that we've rescued
people from the Mediterrane-
an Sea. However, our ships are
not suitable for the catering
and medical treatment of ship-
wrecked persons," Klingenberg
said.
Captain Maksymenko said Ka-
rina's flag state, Antigua and
Barbuda, are Geneva Refugee
Convention signatories. "A safe
place is a place where the lives
of survivors are not threatened
and where their basic human
needs can be met. The protec-
tion of their basic rights must
be taken into account: For refu-
gees, this means that they must
not be forced back into a war
zone. This prohibits bringing
people who're fleeing back to
Libya."
Rescue at sea
