By Abhinav Shetty | International Communications and Partnerships
When their boat began to fill with water in the middle of a Mediterranean storm, more than sixty people did the only thing they could: they swam toward a light in the darkness. That light was the Miskar gas platform — an offshore facility in the Gulf of Gabès, off the coast of Tunisia. They climbed onto the lower boarding deck and held on. Platform workers gave them food and blankets. And then they waited.
They waited for four nights. Every relevant authority had been notified. No state rescue operation came. It was only on the fifth day that the Ocean Viking arrived and brought all 116 people to safety — among them 39 unaccompanied minors, 13 women, two babies, and one young child. Many had survived not only the storm, but months of imprisonment and violence before ever reaching the sea. As one survivor put it: "I have only tears."
Since January 1st, 2026, our teams have assisted:
At the same time, 2026 has become the Mediterranean's deadliest year on record: at least 1,000 people have died or gone missing so far, according to the IOM — a figure believed to significantly undercount the real toll. Since SOS MEDITERRANEE's founding a decade ago, our teams have rescued 43,350 people in total. In that same period, over 6,070 people were violently intercepted by the Libyan Coast Guard and forcibly returned. Last week, May 13th, one of the people we rescued died from complications from the violence he faced in Libya. A ceremony was held in his memory.
It is hard to have a trace of those missing at sea, because it leaves no evidence. Our air operations helped us spot the corpse of a shipwreck. The Albatross UNO, our civil observation aircraft, which helps locate boats in distress and document situations of concern at sea. Together, the Ocean Viking and the Albatross mission represent a complete search and rescue system — made possible entirely by donors like you.
Each day of operations costs approximately $27,000, with costs rising due to the closure of the Hormuz strait. This cost covers fuel, medical supplies, food, water, and child-sized life jackets. If you would like to follow our work or speak directly with our team about the impact of your support, we warmly welcome you to get in touch with us at a.shetty[@]sosmediterranee.org
Testimony of Survivors from the Miskar Platform : https://www.sosmediterranee.org/testimony/marcus-we-were-stuck-on-a-platform-for-days/
Links:
By Abhinav Shetty | International Project & Comms Coordinator
By Sophie Friedman | International Communications Manager
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