A Norwegian vessel taking part in the Frontex-coordinated Operation Poseidon Sea played a crucial role in the rescue operation off the Greek island of Lesbos on Wednesday, saving 120 of the 242 rescued migrants.
Norway’s Peter Henry Von Koss was the first to arrive at the rescue site, where more than two hundred people were floating around a sinking wooden fishing boat. The Norwegian crew immediately began rescuing people, putting them on board, as well as onto a smaller rescue boat the larger vessel was carrying.
“We saw many casualties in the sea. We looked for signs of life and saved as many as we could. The crew made an enormous effort that saved dozens of people,” said Terje Klevengen, the commander of the Norwegian vessel.
“We had to make difficult choices under a lot of pressure. The weather was rough, with high seas and a strong wind. We laboured for many hours,” he added.
Also participating in the rescue as part of Operation Poseidon Sea was a Romanian helicopter, along with two Greek coastal patrol boats that took on the remaining rescued migrants.
The 120 migrants, including seven children, taken aboard Peter Henry Von Koss were by far the largest number of people the vessel has ever carried. Its usual maximum capacity is 50 people.
The vessel also took on the bodies of two children who died in the water from suspected hypothermia. An estimated 30 people were still missing.
Migrants arriving on the Greek islands usually come in small rubber boats carrying some 50 people each.
Earlier on the same day, the crew of Peter Henry Von Koss saved more than a hundred people in other rescue operations.
Peter Henry Von Koss specialises in search and rescue operations with a crew trained to take part in such maritime missions. Since being deployed in Operation Poseidon Sea in July, the Norwegian vessel rescued more than 2 000 people.