Yesterday, 12 April , our crew with the civilian boat SAFIRA, picked up a "MayDay" message radioed from the Frontex EAGLE 1 aircraft, raising the alarm about a boat drifting between the Tunisian and Maltese SAR zones.

The rescue team immediately intervened to provide immediate assistance. The boat in distress with around 50 people on board was also reached at the same time by patrol boat CP 319 of the Italian Coast Guard, which boarded the shipwrecked people.

We stood by and after the rescue, as required by the protocols, we marked the drifting empty vessel with the SAR event number and the current date.

Cooperation at sea between civil society and institutions to save lives is always a victory for the best part of the world we have.