The Liberia-flagged ro-ro cargo Pol Maris saved 97 migrants including 20 children mainly from Afghanistan which were found onboard a yacht boat. The vessel was engaged in search and rescue operation coordinated by the JRCC PIRAEUS, which was the responsible rescue coordination centre.
The ship on October 31 received request to proceed in order to assist another ship MSC Fabienne, which found the yacht boat.
After the rescue of the 97 persons from the USA-flagged yacht boat it received order to proceed to the port of Katakolo, in Greece, for the safe disembarkation of them.
The Hellenic coast guard issued a statement on November 1 confirming the incident. It said that in the morning hours of Thursday the port authorities of Zakynthos, Pylos, Katakolo and Kalamata, in Greece, were informed for the existence of a boat, with a sufficient number of foreigners onboard, 76 nautical miles southwest of Katakolo.
According to the Greek port authority, 96 people were picked up by the Pol Maris vessel and then safely transferred to the port of Katakolo.
The port authority of Katakolo, which is conducting the preliminary investigation, identified two foreigners from the above, aged 28 and 36, as the traffickers of the rest and were arrested.
An investigation is under way for the possible participation of those arrested in other cases, as well as their collaboration with members of organized rings with the same or similar criminal activities.
