A new lifeline in the Mediterranean

At this time of year, with the arrival of good weather, the boats go out to the Mediterranean Sea again. Thousands of migrants, victims of the mafias, board flimsy boats from the coasts of Libya and Tunisia to Europe, risking their lives on one of the most dangerous migratory routes (that of the central Mediterranean), in which only so far year 632 people have died, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). But this is also the time of year when humanitarian NGOs, such as Doctors Without Borders (MSF), mobilize to save lives. The organization, which has been operating in this area since 2015, returns this time to sea with a new ship, the

Geo Barents,

a huge 76.95 meter long ship loaded with tons of clothing, food and medicine to assist those who find themselves adrift, terrified, on the deadliest migratory route to the Old Continent.

More information

• NGOs return to patrol in the Mediterranean to rescue migrants amid surge in arrivals to Italy

• Rescue missions are shipwrecked in the central Mediterranean

This week, activity at the

Geo Barents is

bustling. The ship, which departed on May 13 from Alesund (Norway), crossed the waters of the Atlantic and skirted northwestern Europe, the French coasts, and the Iberian Peninsula. He moored in the port of Algeciras to finally head to the rescue zone (called SAR by the English acronym for

Search and Rescue

, Search and Rescue), off the Libyan coast. These days of relative calm, the crew takes the opportunity to study, review, and recheck the rescue protocols. But also to finish getting acquainted with the huge ship, which in its day was dedicated to searching for gas and oil in the depths of the Gulf of Mexico, but which has now been recycled to search for migrants in the immensity of the sea.

The

Geo Barents

is the largest ship of the six the NGO has worked on so far.

It has capacity for more than 300 people and carries a cargo of a ton of medicines, 1,200 blankets and 12.5 tons of food to last weeks at sea.

Barbara Deck, a 33-year-old Canadian who has worked in countries like Sudan and Syria, leads the MSF mission.

Every morning at 8.30, punctually, he gathers his entire team (19 people including doctors, logistician, cultural mediator and rescuers) to organize the rest of the day.

"[Migrants] go through so much hardship that it is essential that they feel safe," explains Katrin Brubakk, head of mental health at the NGO.

MSF rescue exercises this week.

Elvira palomo

If the weather is good, it is time to simulate a rescue with two speedboats (RHIB). The head of the rescue, Ani Montes, controls the maneuvers from the command post, together with Salah Dusuki, the cultural mediator who speaks Arabic, in addition to English and Norwegian. Four rescuers are on board each boat. At the bow of the

RHIB 2

, the leader gives the instructions to the rest so that the boat remains stable when the migrants climb from the boats, and later they approach the Geo Barents, where they will finally be safe. This pair of boats - with capacity for about 35 people - are loaded with two large sacks in which there are 30 life jackets. The drill begins.

A doll the size of an adult - dressed in a wet orange jumpsuit (so that it weighs more because the migrants are soaked after hours adrift) and a buoy acting as its head - is thrown into the water. One of the boats increases speed and turns to rescue him in a hurry. David Molina and Julie Melichar, who are in the boat, lift him up by the armpits to get him on board and be able to continue with the next phase.

Once on the boats, the rescuers remember that at this time it is essential to remain calm in order to bring the migrants closer to the

Geo Barents

without incident. When the boats approach one of the sides of the ship, those rescued will have to take the last gasp they have of strength to go up on deck by a metal ladder. Madeleine Habib and Ángel Sierra, who is restrained with a harness, will wait for them. Everything indicates, included in this drill, that his hand is what the immigrants will receive when they get on the ship. When the exercise is over, what has gone well and what can be improved is discussed. Everything has to be clear because, in addition, this year the NGO has the added difficulty of keeping the covid-19 at bay in case there is someone rescued infected.

Mask course

Stephanie, the head of the medical team who prefers not to give her last name, takes advantage of these moments of preparation to give a short mask course: FPP2 to care for migrants; hygienic ones for surveillance rounds; and a white and washable cloth for the newly rescued. Meanwhile, Dr. Georgina Woolveridge explains the long and careful process involved in putting on and taking off the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) that the entire crew must wear. "You have to imagine that you are covered by a liquid and you do not want to splash anyone," he emphasizes. And Silvia, a British nurse with experience treating coronavirus patients - and who does not want to reveal her last name either - teaches how to identify some diseases such as scabies,very common among migrants due to the conditions in which they have lived in countries like Libya.

Dr. Georgina Woolveridge demonstrates donning and doffing of covid protection.

Elvira palomo

MSF, which has already treated 81,540 people in its rescue missions, has laid out a route that divides the ship into three zones: red, yellow and green.

In case there is someone with symptoms compatible with covid-19, an isolation area is prepared.

A specific cabin has been set up where rescuers will leave their clothes to disinfect and wash them immediately.

As soon as they board the ship, the doctors will take the temperature of the migrants, which will be distributed on two decks, one on top of the other.

Up will be the women and children;

down, the men.

During the day you can visit each other, but not at night.

So far this year, around 13,757 migrants have reached the Italian shores, compared to 4,237 in the same period last year, according to the Italian Interior Ministry.

"This represents an increase in the departure of boats, but also an increase in the loss of life," Deck laments.

It is impossible to make predictions about what this mission is going to be, but what is certain is that there will be a lot of activity.

Unexpected first rescue

As it passed through the Strait of Gibraltar before heading towards the Mediterranean, the

Geo Barents

made a technical stop off the coast of Algeciras to pick up a shipment of supplies. The ship did not dock in the port, but the cargo was transferred from another smaller boat with the Spanish flag. While the operators were lifting the load with the crane, something caught the attention of one of the MSF crewmembers and in seconds the alarm went off shouting the most feared words:

man overboard

(man to water). It was all a bit confusing. Had someone fallen? Could they be migrants? The response was immediate. The ship's own rescue boat sailed in seconds toward what appeared to be three heads from the deck. Rescuers and medical personnel came out on deck. MSF informed the Spanish authorities that it had found three people swimming adrift and they were transferred to a Spanish coast guard boat. It can be said that the

Geo Barents

performed its first rescue long before reaching the SAR (rescue) zone. From the ship you could draw a triangle with your gaze: on one side Spain, facing the United Kingdom, on the other Africa.