Migrants Rescued After Days Stranded on Mediterranean Gas Platform
A group of 32 migrants was rescued after spending four days stranded on the Miskar gas platform in the Mediterranean, approximately 75 miles off the Tunisian coast. The Berlin-based NGO Sea-Watch coordinated the operation, ultimately transferring the survivors and one deceased individual to Italy. This marks the second such incident involving the same platform in three years.
Stranded at Sea Before Reaching the Platform
The ordeal began on March 1 when Sea-Watch’s patrol aircraft, Seabird, detected an abandoned rubber raft near the Miskar gas platform. The migrants, reportedly from Ethiopia and Eritrea, had initially set out in the raft, which later capsized. They managed to reach the platform, where they endured five days without food, water, or adequate shelter.
Alert Phone, an emergency maritime assistance service, relayed distress calls to authorities. The platform operator, Miskar, confirmed the migrants’ presence, and the European Coast Guard Fonex alerted Malta, Italy, and Tunisia. The platform sits at the boundary between the Search and Rescue (SAR) zones of Tunisia and Malta, but neither country took immediate action.
Delayed Rescue Efforts Amid Regional Inaction
The Tunisian navy reportedly planned to retrieve the migrants on March 3, but no assistance arrived. Italy and Malta also did not intervene, according to Sea-Watch. In response, the NGO dispatched its vessel, Aurora, which reached the platform on March 4. The migrants were found huddled on the walkways, suffering from cold and hunger.
Aurora transported the survivors to Lampedusa, arriving on March 5. The NGO criticized European authorities for their inaction, emphasizing that this was not the first time the Miskar platform had been the site of a migrant rescue controversy. In 2022, another group of migrants sought refuge on the platform but was ultimately taken back to Africa by the Tunisian navy after NGOs were unable to intervene.
This latest incident underscores ongoing concerns about the responsiveness of regional authorities in maritime rescue operations, as well as the humanitarian risks faced by migrants attempting perilous sea crossings.
