79 people rescued by the Romanian border police on the Frontex mission in the Mediterranean

On the evening of June 30, 2024, border police on board MAI 3604 were informed by the crew of an Italian surveillance helicopter on the same mission of the existence of a possible target approximately 12 nautical miles south of Lampedusa.

Shortly after they intercepted a small boat, drifting in Italian territorial waters, with many people on board, establishing that it was a wooden pescador , without a flag, overloaded with migrants.

Since the hydro-meteorological conditions were not favorable, the decision was taken to transship all 79 people onto the Romanian border police vessel, although its capacity was also exceeded.

Following the rescue operation, 79 people were recovered, including 70 men, 5 women and 4 children, coming from Egypt, Pakistan and Syria.

The whole operation stretched over several hours, being carried out with difficulty, at night, and the people exhausted. The rescue operation was completed successfully, the persons being brought to the port, taken over by the Italian authorities who started the specific procedures in such situations.

At the completion of the rescue operation, the maritime patrol vessel MAI 3064 “Kewatec” which has a crew of 8 border policemen and which started the mission on June 12, 2024 in the Mediterranean Sea, resumed its mission as part of the Frontex operation.