MT KEONAMEX VICTORY

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In a legal first, six Italian activists to stand trial for migrant rescue

An Italian court has ordered six members of the NGO Mediterranea Saving Humans to stand trial over a 2020 rescue operation involving 27 migrants stranded in the Mediterranean. This was the first time a criminal case against a sea rescue crew has moved to trial in Italy. In Aug 2020, the 'Maersk Etienne', now sailing as 'Keonamex Victory', rescued 27 people from a wooden boat about 70 nautical miles north of Libya, following instructions from the Maltese rescue authorities. The migrants had been attempting to reach Europe but were stranded when their vessel began sinking. Despite rescuing them, the 'Maersk Etienne' was not granted permission by Malta, Italy, or Libya to let the migrants disembark. As a result, they remained aboard the tanker for 38 days without access to proper care or facilities. The operator, Maersk Tankers, said the ship was not equipped to host that many people and urgently required assistance. The NGO ship 'Mare Jonio' was dispatched to provide help. The vessel had a doctor on board to offer basic medical attention. The migrants were transferred from the tanker onto the 'Mare Jonio' and then taken to Pozzallo, The talian prosecutors in Ragusa later accused six members of the NGO, including five men and one woman, of aiding illegal immigration. Those named in the case included the captain, a crew doctor, and Luca Casarini, one of the group’s founders and a well-known activist. They all said they were helping people in need and did nothing wrong. One of the main accusations from the prosecutors involved a payment of €125,000 (around $140,000) made by Maersk Tankers to Idra Social Shipping, the company that owns the 'Mare Jonio', a few months after the rescue. The authorities suggested that this was a financial transaction linked to the migrants’ transfer. According to Mediterranea Saving Humans, the payment was a transparent donation meant to cover operational costs. The lawyer Serena Romano, speaking on behalf of the NGO, said that no previous case against rescue crews in Italy had ever reached trial, stating that similar investigations had either been closed during the inquiry or dropped at the pre-trial stage. The court in Ragusa has scheduled the first hearing for Oct 21, 2025. Casarini said the trial would serve as an opportunity to examine the decisions made by authorities during the 38-day standoff.

NGO accused by prosecutor of being paid by Maersk

The Prosecutor’s office of Ragusa has accused the NGO Mediterranea Saving Humans of receiving money from the shipping company Maersk after a commercial agreement between the abovementioned parties to transfer migrants from the 'Maersk Etienne', now sailing as 'Keonamex Victory', to the NGO vessel 'Mare Jonio' in Sep 2020. 27 migrants were picked up by the tanker on Aug 4 in the Gulf of Gabes. The nker couldn’t disembark them for 37 days, because all coastal states in the region refused to accept them. On Sep 11 they finally were transferred onto the 'Mare Jonio' on Sep 12 and then disembarked at Pozzallo port.

Tanker sold by Maersk shortly after rescue drama

The 'Maersk Etienne', which became world famous when 27 migrants had to stay on the ship for 38 days because no one wanted to receive them, has been sold by Maersk Tankers to a Nigerian company after the end of the migrant drama in the Mediterranean on Sep 12. The 'Maersk Etienne' was taken over by the Keonamex Petroleum and has been renamed 'Keonamex Victory' with Panama as flag state.