Dear friends of Sea-Eye,
For the crew of the SEA-EYE 5, April was marked by intensive preparations, technical improvements - and a dramatic night-time rescue. I was on board as the driver of the rescue boat and Field Media Coordinator (FMC), and today I want to take you behind the scenes of our daily routines – beyond the cameras, right in the middle of the rescue operations.
An intensive training phase - the mission begins
‘Train hard - rescue easier’ - under this motto, we first completed realistic emergency training. The exercises included basic medical knowledge such as the recovery position and CPR, as well as a briefing on the current situation in the Mediterranean. Using the rescue boat and the SEA-EYE 5, we simulated various rescue scenarios with increasing levels of difficulty. Particularly important: the ‘mass casualty’ exercises for large-scale emergencies involving more than two seriously injured individuals. It would soon become clear that these trainings would pay off…
"No matter how many times you do this – the nervosity before a rotation never goes away.“ – Julie Schweickert, Head of Mission
Intense searches - between uncertainty and hope
On 18 April, the SEA-EYE 5 reached its assigned area of operation. For us, this meant systematically searching for boats in distress, monitoring radio communication and coordinating closely with other civilian SAR actors such as Sea-Watch and Alarmphone. Things quickly got serious: we participated in several search operations for missing boats. As we patrolled for hours in sometimes rough seas, the crew's thoughts were with the people in distress. We had information that some of them were drifting in the waves without fuel. After an overcrowded wooden boat was initially spotted but then lost in the darkness, the SEA-EYE 5 launched our rescue boat SIERRA. Together with AURORA, we combed the night. Flares were used to aid the search, their bright light casting an almost ghostly glow over the waves. Later, the good news: AURORA had found the boat.
The rescue - amid rough waves in the dark of night
On the evening of 20 April, the SEA-EYE 5 carried out its crucial rescue: Alarmphone reported a boat with 76 people in acute distress - they had been at sea for two days without food or water. We discovered the boat at around 9:00 pm. The rescue in extreme conditions and pitch darkness was particularly challenging for the crew on the rescue boat. The wind and waves increased steadily and pushed us hard against the heavily rocking wooden boat. The rough sea also made it difficult to embark the weakened people from SIERRA onto the mother ship. By 1:30 am, all 76 people had been brought safely aboard. I will never forget the feeling of relief when the RHIB team embraced each other after the rescue.
Several cases had to be treated medically, including five people in the sick bay. People had already drunk seawater out of thirst - including a severely traumatised, dehydrated teenager. Other survivors reported that he had been subjected to particularly brutal torture in Libya. The way back turned out to be another stress test, as waves kept crashing over the foredeck due to the rough seas and many people were soaked and hypothermic. We finally reached Lampedusa on Easter Monday, 21 April. All of the rescued people were able to go ashore, exhausted but relieved - and with personal farewells from each crew member: a moving end to an exhausting month full of preparation, suspense - and lived solidarity at sea.
Sincerely,
Johannes Krohn - RHIB Driver and FMC