The request for help, the intervention of the merchant vessel to help, the contacts with the maritime rescue coordination centers of Tripoli and Rome.
The latter who, according to the NGO, hangs up the phone without answering the question of who was the authority responsible for rescuing the boat that left Libya and which capsized causing 30 missing at sea.
Sea Watch has published the report of the talks between its Sea Bird aircraft, which was the first to sight the vessel, and the other players involved in the operation.
The first sos was sent at 2.28 on 11 March by Alarm Phone which received the call from the vessel in distress.
At 10.32 Sea Bird sighted her and launched a mayday which was picked up by the merchant ship Basilis L. present nearby.
'Okay, let's proceed, we are 15 miles away,' they reply from Basilils L.
to the plane.
An hour later Sea Bird recontacted the freighter to provide him with the updated coordinates of the boat's position.
But from Basilis L. they reply that they are in contact with the Maritime Rescue Coordination Center of the Coast Guard of Rome (MRCC) which has invited them to follow the instructions of the Libyan Coast Guard, which "told us to proceed" towards the 'objective.
“Did the Libyan Coast Guard instruct you to take people on board?” Sea Bird asks.
"We cannot give you this information. I can only tell you that we are proceeding to the indicated location and that's all," is the reply.
At 16.51 Sea Bird contacts the Maritime Rescue Coordination Center in Tripoli to find out if it is sending vehicles from Benghazi to rescue the boat.
"We have no patrol boats to send", they say from Libya.
At 17.06 the ground crew of the Sea Bird contacted the MRCC of Rome to find out the developments on the case.
“Do you have an update on the situation?” asks the Coast Guard.
"No, our plane left the scene," is Sea Bird's reply.
"But - he adds - we just called the Libya Coordination Center as the competent authority and they informed us that they tried to get in touch with the Benghazi port authority, but that they failed and no ship moved to rescue "Now the vessel is being followed only by the merchant vessel we informed you about. Who is now responsible for this case given that the Libyan center is unable to respond?"
"Ok, thanks for the information, bye", is the answer from Rome, who hangs up the phone.
