The encounter

Charlottetown assists migrant vessel

By Lieutenant (Navy) Michael McWhinnie

Central Mediterranean Sea — The crew of HMCS Charlottetown saw the human face of regional instability recently while investigating a migrant vessel in the waters off Libya.

Shortly before noon on 25 March 2011, an order from the Commander, Combined Task Group 455.01 directed Charlottetown to investigate a vessel off the coast of North Africa that had been reported as “adrift” to authorities ashore. The frigate scrambled its Sea King helicopter, which became the first NATO aircraft to reach the vessel.

“We located the vessel, tracked it by radar, and confirmed visually it was making good headway,” said pilot Captain Gerritt Siebring. “As soon as Charlottetown came into visual distance, however, the vessel stopped dead in the water.”

When contacted by radio, the crew of the migrant vessel claimed that they were adrift because their engine was seized and they were out of fuel. A boarding party set off from the frigate to investigate.

Once aboard the migrant vessel, the boarding party members saw that the actual situation was rather different.

“I was surprised to see the engine was running,” said engineer Petty Officer 2nd Class Serge Grondin. “I checked the sump and the oil was pure black; there was no water contamination as they said. When I checked their fuel, there was easily 400 litres in their tanks.” The boat also had an efficient bilge pump, powered by the main engine.

After a minor adjustment to the rudimentary steering system, the migrant vessel was deemed seaworthy. Meanwhile, Charlottetown provided food, water and blankets for the passengers, and a member of the warship’s medical team checked their general health. The final determination was that, although crowded, everyone aboard was in good health and in no immediate danger.

“Once we provided aid and met our obligations by assuring their health, ability to navigate and safely operate their vessel, our options became limited,” said Commander Craig Skjerpen, commanding officer of HMCS Charlottetown. “We opened our distance and resumed our patrol, but stayed close enough to monitor the situation and respond if required.”

The warship monitored the migrant vessel all night as the NATO Combined Task Group began managing the situation in coordination with Italian national authorities. The Italian Coast Guard took charge of the vessel and its occupants the following day.

“I am told these boats are a common and ongoing challenge in this region; nonetheless, it was an encounter that marked our Canadians sensibilities,” said Cdr Skjerpen. “The safety margin becomes low when a master loads his vessel with this many people. Even a seaworthy craft presents an elevated risk should the sea state deteriorate.”

The issue of informal migration from North Africa is not new. According to the Migration Policy Institute, an independent non-profit organization that studies world population flows, between 65,000 and 120,000 sub-Saharan Africans enter the region each year, and tens of thousands attempt to reach European destinations in Spain, Malta or Italy by boat. The crisis in Libya has undoubtedly made the situation worse. The United Nations High Commission on Refugees estimates that, between 23 March and 27 April 2011, almost 635,000 people — including more than 250,000 “third-country” citizens — crossed the Libyan border into neighbouring countries, most of them heading for Egypt or Tunisia.

HMCS Charlottetown is currently deployed on Operation MOBILE in the central Mediterranean Sea. Since 23 March 2011, Charlottetown has been part of Operation UNIFIED PROTECTOR, the NATO-led maritime effort to enforce the arms embargo against Libya called for in Resolutions 1970 and 1973 of the United Nations Security Council. The objective of the arms embargo is to protect civilians in Libya by preventing the delivery of weapons, ammunition, military vehicles and equipment, and troops to destinations in Libya.