ABOARD THE PHOENIX (AP) – From the bridge of their 130-foot refitted yacht, Christopher and Regina Catrambone are stepping in to fill the void they say has been left by an ineffective European response to the Mediterranean migrant crisis.
The Malta-based insurance entrepreneurs are among legions of volunteers working with the Italian coast guard, non-governmental groups and others to save lives and meet the basic needs of migrants who survive treacherous crossings from Libya. The European Union as a whole will be asked to do more at an emergency summit Thursday.
The couple founded the Malta-based Migrant Offshore Aid Station in 2013 after the drowning of 366 people off the island of Lampedusa, and are gearing up for a six-month tour of duty rescuing migrants in need.
“Nobody deserves to die out at sea in such desperation,” Regina Catrambone said from the Phoenix, docked in the Marsa boatyard near Valletta, Malta’s capital.
The Catrambones are joined in the volunteer effort by people like Dr. Giuseppe Pomilla. The medic with the Knights of Malta Catholic aid organization was aboard the Italian coast guard cutter Gregoretti as it provided first aid to the 28 survivors of the Mediterranean’s worst-ever migrant disaster, a shipwreck that killed an estimated 800 people over the weekend. Only 24 bodies have been recovered.