77 migrants rescued by cruise ship off Greece

The migrants were rescued from a sailing boat just south-west of the coastal town of Pylos, according to the Greek coast guard, which did not say anything about the nationality of the people or where the boat came from.

EnergiWatch editor Anders Lie Brenna is on holiday on the cruise ship Odyssey of the Seas, which picked up the migrants. He tells NTB that the water was completely calm when the migrants were picked up.

– The ship sent a lifeboat over to them. Everything went smoothly, says Brenna.

The cruise ship’s captain informed the passengers about the situation over the public address system, where he said that the migrants had been transported safely ashore and that the rescue operation led to certain changes in the ship’s planned route.

– There is no discussion when it comes to saving lives. We will always prioritize saving lives, and it is our duty to follow maritime laws, said the captain in the message.

The migrants were picked up in the same sea area where a rusty and overloaded fishing trawler capsized and sank on the night of 14 June last year. Over 750 migrants were on board. Only 104 survived.

More than 50 of the survivors reported the case in Greece and accused the Greek coast guard of having spent several hours before launching a rescue operation, despite warnings from the EU’s border agency Frontex and the organization Alarm Phone.