On Wednesday, 28 June 2017, the crew of the SIGMA INTEGRITY, an oil tanker NSB provides ship management services for, assisted in a SAR operation in the Mediterranean Sea. The African mi- grants were safely handed over to Sea Watch, a non-governmental organization. The SIGMA INTEGRITY, a 244-meter-long tanker, was on her way from Trieste to Zawia when on Wednesday, 28 June at 6:40 lt, the Rome Maritime Rescue Coordination Center (MRCC) requested our captain to assist in a SAR operation. The SIGMA INTEGRITY found a rubber dinghy at position 33 25 N/012 26 O carrying over 100 people who were being taken aboard two boats of Libya’s coast guard. The MRCC ordered the SIGMA INTEGRITY to continue the search at other positions. At 12:00 lt the crew spotted another rubber dinghy at position 33 37.6 N/012 36.9 O also packed with about 100 people. The captain of the SIGMA INTEGRITY decided to take the migrants aboard because the Sea Watch 2 was already filled to capacity.
As the migrants were extremely exhausted and the climb aboard via the side gangway across the high freeboard was difficult, only 13 women, one of them pregnant, and two children made it to the deck of the NSB vessel. At 14:24 lt the migrants were finally taken aboard an ocean tugboat, which had joined the SAR operation, and the Sea Watch 2. At the time the operation took place, visibility was very good and the seas were calm. We thank Captain Ghita Virgil and his crew for saving the lives of the men, women and children. They handled the situation in best seamanship and did everything to help the migrants to safety and take care of them onboard the vessel as well as possible.