Chris and Regina Catrambone and their daughter Maria Luisa have launched what they say is the world’s first privately funded vessel to help migrants in trouble at sea. Specifically, they hope to assist refugees in distress attempting to cross the Mediterranean to Europe. The UN Refugee Agency UNHCR estimates that 1,889 have died in these waters since the start of the year, 1,600 of them since the beginning of June. The Catrambones have funded the outfitting of the Phonenix, a 130′ vessel, which was originally a fishing trawler, later converted to a research vessel and them a training ship. They have named their operation Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS).
As reported by the BBC, “The entire project, the couple say, has cost them “millions” with the total running costs of the ship’s initial 60-day mission being 2m euros, (£1.59m, $2.64m) which they say is the extent of their budget… They are hoping to crowd source extra funding for MOAS, aside from their own cash, and extend it into an all-year-round operation.” Thanks to Alaric Bond and Phil Leon for passing along the story.
And England is to start pulling passports from suspected terrorist traveling back and forth to any of the terrorists related countries.