Greece: Boat with Hundreds of Migrants Safely Towed to Port

By Ahmad El-Assasy

Greek authorities said that a derelict fishing vessel filled with hundreds of migrants was safely brought to port on Tuesday after losing control and drifting in the wind-tossed Mediterranean Sea south of the Greek island of Crete.

There were about 400 individuals on the ship, down from his previous estimate of 500, according to the Greek Minister of Migration, Notis Mitarachi. He claimed that it wasn't immediately obvious from where it had sailed.

In a letter sent to the European Commission later on Tuesday, Mitarachi asked that the migrants be transferred to other member states of the EU in support of Greece.

In response to this (rescue) operation, "we ask the Commission to immediately undertake and coordinate a relocation initiative, ensuring the responsibility in saving lives at sea is fairly shared among" EU members, the official wrote.

In the letter, which the Migration Ministry made public, Mitarachi also stated that Greece and other EU nations "cannot be expected to shoulder an ever-increasing burden out of proportion to their respective capacities." These nations are often the first destinations for migrants before they move on to wealthier EU nations.

He said that by relocating new arrivals to other EU nations more quickly and in greater numbers than it has done thus far, "Europe must demonstrate that it is in a position to provide immediate and tangible solidarity."

According to Mitarachi, Greece will offer immediate support to the travellers saved on Tuesday.

After receiving a distress call from what Mitarachi in his letter described as a 30-meter (98-foot) fishing vessel, the coast guard initiated the significant rescue mission overnight. A Greek navy frigate, a tanker, two cargo ships, and two Italian fishing boats all took part, however due to the terrible weather, they were unable to transfer passengers from the ship.

Giannis Plakiotakis, the shipping minister in charge of the coast guard, said the rescue operation was the biggest in the Mediterranean in recent memory. He praised the coast guard for completing the mission under challenging weather circumstances.

To the port of Palaiochora in southeast Crete, the fishing boat was towed. No injuries or missing persons were immediately reported.

Each year, tens of thousands of migrants risk their lives at sea in an attempt to enter the European Union as they flee war and poverty in the Middle East, Asia, and Africa.