According to Captain Ricardo Bartolo, 57 migrants, including 13 minors and 15 women, mostly Afghan nationals, who were traveling on a “suspicious sailboat” off the coast of Crotone in southern Italy, were rescued by PNG.
In an interview with the Lusa agency, the GNR captain explained that the search and rescue operation was carried out with the Bojador coastal patrol boat (BOP) as part of the Themis 2023 joint operation, and that the migrants were rescued from the “suspicious sailboat” at 06:30 in Crotone, region Calabria (Italy).
“There were 13 minors and 15 women among the group,” the captain said, adding that most of the rescued migrants were from Afghanistan.
However, according to Ricardo Bartolo, during a patrol carried out following a warning from the Italian authorities about a “sailboat suspected of carrying migrants on board”, the boat Bojador was activated at 00:30.
“The vessel was located at 05:30 using existing surveillance systems at the LPC Bojador, and with the presence of the Guardia Costiera on site, the operation to bring migrants on board the Italian vessel began, which was completed at 06:30,” GNR said in a statement.
GNR, through the Coastal and Border Control Unit (UCCF), participates in Operation Themis 2023 from March 22 to July 12, together with LPC Bojador under the auspices of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (FRONTEX) as part of the operational coordination framework at the external borders of the European Union to control migration flows and the prevention of cross-border crime.
The main objective of the mission is to act in the field of border surveillance, control illegal immigration flows, fight cross-border crime and strengthen European cooperation at the level of the coast guard and law enforcement agencies.
The crew of the Bojador consists of 20 GNR soldiers.