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The crew of a rescue boat funded by British street artist Banksy say they are unable to move after rescuing more than 200 migrants off the coast of Libya.
They said on Twitter they were close to declaring “a state of emergency” after the already crowded ship assisted a ship with 130 migrants and a body on board.
The crew claim that European officials have ignored repeated calls for help.
Built to assist migrants in the Mediterranean Sea trying to reach Europe from North Africa, the 31-meter motor yacht features some of Banksy’s trademark work, including a girl in a life jacket holding a heart-shaped safety buoy.
Banksy financed the boat built to rescue immigrants in the Mediterranean
The artist reportedly asked the former captain of several NGO rescue boats, Pia Klemp, to use his money to finance “a new boat,” which was named Louise Michel after a 19th-century French anarchist and teacher. .
On Friday morning, the crew posted on the ship’s official Twitter page that they had rescued 89 people, including 14 women and four children, and were looking for a safe place to disembark.
That night, he said he assisted another crowded boat, which was filling with water, had a dead body on board and many more suffered fuel burns.
“Louise Michel just responded to a #Moonbird aircraft distress relay for a rubber boat in distress that had no movement and was taking in water,” the tweet read.
“Louise Michel proceeded at full speed and handed out life jackets to 130 people to secure the situation. Authorities, your turn.”
Due to its maximum capacity, 33 of the rescued migrants are reportedly still on the barge and, due to the weight, the 31-meter-long rescue boat is unable to move.
The crew said they made emergency calls to agencies in Germany, Malta and Italy, but were ignored.
They wrote on Twitter: “#LouiseMichel cannot move, she is no longer the master of her maneuver, due to her crowded deck and a life raft deployed next to her, but mostly because Europe ignores our emergency calls for immediate assistance.” .
“We repeat, #LouiseMichel cannot move safely and no one comes to our aid. The rescued people have experienced extreme trauma, it is time for them to be taken to a #PlaceOfSafety. We need immediate help.”
A crew of 10 European activists are on the ship, which last week left Burriana in Spain and sailed to an area about 90 miles southeast of the Italian island of Lampedusa.
It can carry a maximum of 120 passengers.
On Saturday, the crew posted a video of the crowded ship, writing: “These are the survivors you are turning your back on #EU on. After escaping unspeakable horror and inhumanity, they need a safe place.”
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The ship’s launch on August 18 was kept secret, and news of the mission was only released after its first rescue.
While quite small, the yacht has a top speed of 27 knots and is therefore considerably faster than other NGO rescue boats.
On Wednesday, 45 people, including five children, were killed when their ship’s engine exploded off Libya, in the country’s deadliest shipwreck this year.
More than 7,600 migrants have been discovered at sea and returned to Libya so far this year, according to figures from the International Organization for Migration.
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