Early in the morning we received an emergency call for an overcrowded rubber boat. We immediately set off in search of the boat, which was about 13 nautical miles away from us.
When we came across the boat at around 7 a.m., the people were already in a very dangerous situation: the engine had failed and water was entering the boat. Without any life saving equipment, the people on the boat were adrift in the waves. In addition, the boat was in the Libyan Search & Rescue zone, so there was a risk of a pullback.
The crew quickly launched our dinghy. Our dinghy team first made contact with the people and distributed life jackets. We then brought the people on board the Trotamar III.
With a total of 55 people on board, we have now set course towards Lampedusa.