The border policemen aboard the MAI 1104 ship of the Coast Guard , stationed in Greece, have saved, Sunday morning, during a mission carried out in the Aegean Sea 46 people which were in danger and have retained one person suspected of being a migrant trafficker, during the Maritime Joint Operation “Poseidon Rapid Intervention „coordinated by the Frontex Agency.
Since the beginning of the mission, the Border Police vessel has participated in 38 missions, 11 of these being rescue missions of over 570 people, of which more than 300 were women and children.
On the 15th of May, at 05.30 o’clock, the border policemen onboard the MAI 1104 ship, while on a patrol, search and rescue mission in the Aegean Sea received information about a small vessel overloaded with people that was in danger of sinking in the Aegean Sea.
The crew of the Romanian ship identified the signaled vessel which contained approximately 50 people. Initially, the helmsman of the ship refused to stop, but, shortly stopped after one of the persons onboard dived into the water.
Thusly, the maritime rescue mission commenced, 46 people who asked for the aid of the border policemen were transshipped. During the mission, the helmsman of the vessel refused to go aboard the Romanian ship and tried to start the boat engine and take off. Due to the fact that the man did not comply with the warnings given, the border policemen immobilized him and brought him onboard the RBP vessel. The rescued persons (7 children, 12 women and 27 men) were given assistance, first aid and food and , were transported to the Chios harbor, where they were turned over to the Greek authorities, the r4strained person is in the course of being investigated by local authorities under suspicion of migrant trafficking.
In May, the crew on board MAI 1104 identified another 3 inflatable vessels which held 149 people (34 children, 38 women and 77 men). The border policemen have, yet again, rescued and transshipped the persons in distress on board the ship, granting them assistance and food, and, later on, transporting them safely to the Chios harbor, where they were turned over to the Greek authorities to undergo specific procedures.
Since the beginning of the Frontex mission (March 2016) the MAI 1104 Romanian Border Police ship has carried out 38 missions, being involved in 11 search and rescue missions on sea. In total, 11 vessels were identified and 573 persons were rescued who were in distress in the Aegean Sea, of which 168 were children, 145 women and 260 men. The rescued persons were originated from countries like Syria, Palestine, Eritrea , Mali, Algeria.
