The narrow channels between Turkey and Greece have been busy over the past year, as desperate people attempt to cross the Aegean into Europe. More than 700 are believed to have drowned. How can the RNLI help?

Just 4 miles by sea from the Turkish coast, Lesbos has become the entryway to Europe for thousands of migrants – every day. At the time of writing, volunteers from the Hellenic Rescue Team (HRT), a Greek search-and-rescue charity, were struggling to cope. As a member of the International Maritime Rescue Federation (IMRF), HRT asked for help. ‘The HRT volunteers had been doing incredible work in extremely testing conditions, but they were facing an overwhelming task and we wanted to help,’ says the RNLI’s Simon Ling. So earlier this year, a four-strong RNLI team spent 2 weeks on the Greek island of Lesbos, helping HRT volunteers with sea-based search and rescue techniques. Over 10 days, the team trained 16 volunteers in search patterns, rough weather handling and more. They also brought with them an Atlantic 75 lifeboat, which the RNLI has donated to the HRT. The lifeboat was part of the RNLI relief fleet, nearing the end of its operational life and just about to be decommissioned when the call for help came in. HRT Vice President Nikos Priporas said: ‘We are grateful. It’s a very very good boat and very reliable – a proper rescue boat. We provide help to the people in need in the sea. But also, it’s safer for our crew to have a proper and reliable boat to use.’ 

Simon adds: ‘Our aim was to make HRT as self-sufficient as possible. To that end, we also worked to provide local suppliers with engineering drawings to allow them to create covers and other accessories for the lifeboat.’ RNLI volunteers have been saving lives for nearly 200 years – so we’re glad to support our international lifesaving colleagues. RNLI International Director James Vaughan says: ‘I’m really pleased that we can join forces with other European rescue organisations to help our fellow volunteers who are working round the clock in desperate conditions trying to handle this drowning crisis.’ With no end to the crisis in sight, people are still coming in from Turkey in flimsy vessels with little to no safety equipment. Now, the HRT’s lifesavers are being given more of a chance to save more lives – at less risk to themselves.

Funding
The total value of the boat and training package is likely to be around £100,000, and will be funded as part of the RNLI’s international work, which is entirely separate to our work in the UK and Ireland. Our international work is funded by donations given specifically for international projects, and by a small proportion of the money we make on our investments.

Words: Mairéad Dwane
Photos: RNLI/Simon Ling, Oliver Mallinson