After a Mayday Relay reached us yesterday morning, we set off in search of the boat in distress. Shortly afterwards, the crew of the Humanitarian Pilots Initiative sighted the distressed vessel with their new Seabird 3 aircraft: a blue and black fiberglass boat with 27 people on board.
In the early afternoon, we were able to find the boat thanks to the support from the air. The two outboard engines of the migrant vessel had failed and it was drifting in the increasing waves. The people on board were desperately waiting for help without life jackets or life-saving equipment.
We used our dinghy to distribute life jackets to all 27 people as quickly as possible – no easy task in the high waves. After that, our dinghy team brought all the people safely on board the Trotamar III.
With winds of up to 30 knots and waves 2 to 3 meters high the crew of the Trotamar III finally set course for Lampedusa. Crew and people on the move endured an exhausting crossing until the Trotamar III was finally able to moor in Lampedusa in the early hours of the morning and everybody was able to set foot safely on European soil.
Free Trotamar III!
Our boat Trotamar III has been detained by the Italian authorities on Lampedusa. The reason? We rescued 22 people last weekend without informing the so-called Libyan coast guard. This did…
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Trotamar III detained in Lampedusa
After rescuing 22 people yesterday evening, our sailing boat Trotamar III was prohibited from leaving the port of Lampedusa. The crew is accused of not informing the so-called Libyan coast…
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Attacks by so-called Libyan Coast Guard
Solidarity with the Ocean Viking! On Sunday, the rescue ship operated by SOS Méditerranée was fired upon in international waters by the so-called Libyan coast guard – for 20 minutes…
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22 people rescued
Yesterday morning at around 8 am, we came across a small, unseaworthy fiberglass boat deep in the southern part of our search area, in the Libyan search and rescue zone.…
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Arriving in Lampedusa
The day before yesterday, the Trotamar III arrived in Lampedusa late evening. On the way there, the crew completed their first offshore training session.Today, the crew is busy with trainings…
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Our new crew arrived!
Our new crew has arrived at our appartment in Licata: David, Gauthier, Lara, Manon, and Rosy from France, Belgium, and Luxembourg. For the first time, we will be sailing with…
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End of Deployment
Our deployment is coming to an end and the Trotamar III arrived back in the port of Licata yesterday evening. In the last few days and weeks, our crew has…
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Over 90 people rescued aboard a freighter
The Trotamar III is currently between the Tunisian and Maltese SAR zones. Since yesterday, we have been accompanying the merchant vessel Port Fukuoka, which is in a difficult situation after…
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70 people rescued
Tonight we assisted a migrant vessel: 70 people, including 10 children, who were struggling with the 2 meter high waves on an unseaworthy wooden boat. After the people in distress…
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We are on our way to the SAR zones!
After the Trotamar III arrived in Lampedusa at the beginning of the week, the crew completed further training off the south coast of the island. Dinghy training on the open…
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