The border
policemen on Stefan cel Mare ship MAI 1105, which is in mission in
Italy, within Joint Maritime Operation AENEAS 2013, coordinated by
FRONTEX Agency, detected another 181 Syrian migrants, out of which
71 were children, on a fishing vessel in the Italian territorial
seas.
As a result of the investigations, the Italian authorities also
detected 10 Egyptian facilitators.
The main purpose of Joint Maritime Operation AENEAS 2013 is to
counter illegal migration at the maritime external borders of the
European Union.
On 25.09.2013, the ship of the Romanian Border Police Stefan cel Mare, which is in patrol mission within Joint Maritime Operation AENEAS 2013, coordinated by FRONTEX Agency (European Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders of the Member States of the European Union) detected and intercepted a small fishing vessel in the Italian territorial waters, which had many persons on board.
A fast boat from the board of MAI 1105 was sent to identify the vessel, when border policemen ascertained that it was a wooden fishing vessel, without a flag, overloaded with migrants who were heading to the Italian coast, at slow speed.
Romanian border policemen informed the International Center for Operation Coordination of Frontex which sent two rescue boats in order to transfer and to bring ashore the migrants and disposed that MAI 1105 monitor the boats with migrants.
As a result of the migrants’ transfer on the boats of the Italian Coast Guard, it was established that were 78 men, 32 women and 71 minors, who stated that they were Syrian citizens and were intending to reach the Schengen Area.
At the end of the rescue action, Stefan cel Mare MAI 1105 vessel continued its mission within Frontex operation.
As a result of the investigations initiated in this case by Politia di Stato / Carabineniri / Task Force, coordinated by the Prosecutor of Syracuse district, 10 Egyptian facilitators were detected and detained.
We recall you that, in August and September 2013, border policemen on Stefan cel Mare ship MAI 1105, in mission in Italy within the same operation, detected and rescued 784 Syrian migrants on 5 overloaded and adrift boats.
Moreover, within AENEAS 2013 operation, the Romanian ship detected and detained a suspect ship which, as a result of the investigations carried out by the Italian authorities, proved to be a mother ship, involved in the transportation of hundreds of illegal migrants to Italy.