Operational Strategy of the Iuventa

In practice, this meant:

• Actively searching for boats in distress: along the known flight corridors, where distress is most likely to occur, on standby around the clock.
• Securing people in distress as fast as possible, with life jackets, life rafts and flotation devices, and taking as many on board as possible.
• Treating life-threatening injuries.
• Identifying and caring for the most vulnerable.
• Ensuring fast and safe transport to Italy.

At the time, rescuing a boat in distress involved six basic steps:

• The bridge receives information about people in distress: from the Italian Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (IMRCC), the navy, another civil rescue organisation, or the ship's own crew, keeping constant watch with binoculars.
• As the ship sets course for the boat, the crew plan their approach and prepare the equipment.
• Within range, the RHIBs are launched: making first contact, gathering information. Condition of the boat, injuries, particularly vulnerable people, other boats in distress in the area.
• The RHIB crew distribute life jackets and provide first medical aid.
• The crew take the people on board the Iuventa, or stabilise the situation on the water, for instance when a larger and better-equipped vessel is about to arrive for further care.
• The Iuventa transfers the rescued. The crew clean the ship and prepare for the next rescue.

The Iuventa provided a "temporary place of safety" for people crossing the Mediterranean. But what threatened the authorities was not that we saved lives. It was that we made sure people were not returned to Libya. That they reached European shores, where they could exercise their right to seek asylum.

Cooperation
Cooperation with the responsible Italian Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (IMRCC) and all rescue units operating in the area was a matter of both principle and necessity for us.

Transparency
To coordinate search and rescue as effectively as possible, we ensured the best possible exchange of data. The Iuventa was fully transparent at all times regarding position, course, speed and intention. The exchange with the MRCC ran through the channels commonly used on the high seas (AIS, GPS position data, INMARSAT, satellite communication) and also included:

• Time of departure from Valletta, estimated arrival in the area of operations, search intentions, capacities, etc.
• Daily POSREP (position report: position, course, speed, intention) and SITREP (situation report: in addition, the situation encountered, such as sightings; beginning, course and end of a rescue)

The Iuventa was reachable around the clock for instructions and requests from the MRCC, via INMARSAT, e-mail or telephone. The Italian coast guard and Frontex inspected the Iuventa several times; on these occasions, we made available all information relevant to the rescues, including pictures, POSREPs and SITREPs.

Coordination
All of the Iuventa's rescue operations were carried out with the knowledge, approval or under the direct coordination of the MRCC / OSC. Coordination means: the MRCC decides which ship responds to which emergency, which ships take over the rescued, and who brings them to Italian ports.