Sinkings off Lampedusa <continued>

Yeah - great idea - how many refugees are Catholic do you think ????

And as far as Catholics teaching people how to create a civilised society - check out the living standards in South America, including Mexico, the Phillipines and other largely Catholic countries.

This is worth a watch to explain why population levels aren't the problem they were expected to be

 

I worked in and out of Libya on a vessel ( AHTS)a few years back and we could just get off and walk into town ( Americans couldnt) seemed ok?
Gadaffy just ruled with an iron fist with and held the parts together like Saddam in Iraq
You can remove these people but you need a solution when they are gone.
The USA seems to have forgotten the path you go to get to self determination if you go via the hard route.
Enforcing peace is not a solution thats temporary.

 

Stephen, I am pretty sure that the Italian police and secret services would be very interested to learn more about that Libyan businessman.
It is not unreasonable to suspect that his intention was to supply the smugglers with new and cheap boats. The availability of vessels in Libya is shrinking, because each trip is one way only.

Passing his contact data to law-enforcing agencies is possibly a right thing to do, they can check if his business is legitimate or not.

 

Happy to do that, Daiquiri. We're talking about someone of Libyan decent who lives and owns shops in the United States (and has friends/contacts in Libya). My contact with him was in 2013. I don't have any direct evidence that he ever did anything illegal, so I suspect law enforcement interest in him would be to enlist his assistance in locating smugglers. Regardless, I'd be happy to discuss what I know with US, EU, World Court, UN, Italian, or Spanish law enforcement or government. I favor the prosecution efforts currently underway (see my last post for a link), and would be happy to assist the Italian government any way I can.

Any suggestion who I should contact?

What I favor is that prosecution not just be reactive, after 300 people have drowned, but proactive and selective. Arrests should be tied to specific standards concerning what constitutes unsafe operation, so those who continue to smuggle have an incentive to operate in a safety concious manner and don't have to compete with those who have no concern for safety.

I am concerned that, by only rescuing those who are in immediate distress, rescuers might be creating an incentive for migrants to put themselves at still greater risk. So what I might gently suggest is that where there is a skipper aboard and a boat is loaded with LB^2/6 people or less + fresh water and lifejackets for all, the skipper be released, with boat. Such an operator is not the equivolent of the most callous profiteer.

I'm ultimately about consumer protection. Don't pay the ferryman until he gets you to the other side.

 

One can build a boat to transport 500 people, but it should be 30m x 10m or 37m x 9m, NOT 20m x 4m. That's the simple truth I ask people to help me communicate, in Arabic and other languages of the refugees, to refugee and smuggler alike.

 

I can't see where education or capacity information would help much. Do you think these people don't realize the boat is overloaded?

 

the people traffickers said the boat was CE approved for 20 but sold 500 tickets

 

I certainly don't have all the answers. But I'm curious where you saw the story. The press seems to be able to dialogue with traffickers, so it's not like they operate in hiding. They seem to be doing what they're doing in plain sight.

 

Many people do not fully grasp the relationship between loading and intact stability. With no reference point to base their own judgment on, the consumer's (passenger's) bargaining power is diminished. And if the boat is treated as disposable, of course the incentive is to pack as many as possible onto each. That's why I think there should be a policy of allowing crewed boats with LB^2/6 persons or less aboard to return.

The rating of 20 passengers seems very conservative. Do you know what that's based on?

 

they could walk to other arabic countrys, plenty of space and no boats needed

 

Some may be interested in these RIB tubes now being used in the Med to save some of those on overloaded craft.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-34460521

 

Thanks for posting that, SukiSolo. I saw that on BBC yesterday, too. I wonder if it wouldn't be better to lash them together and get on top of them, though. As a single noodle, it seems like yet another unstable solution.

 

That's what most of them HAVE done. The number in refugee camps in Jordon, Lebanon and Turkey far exceeds the number in Europe. I'm for an increased US effort, but I think it should be focused on working with those nations.

 

You may be interested in that a 2 tube (inflated) version has been developed. Currently undergoing trials, it allows people to scramble up and rest in the space between the tubes and out of the water. I believe it is almost ready for deployment. Key thing is to save lives, seems an admirable project to me, well done all concerned.

Not seen a version with a couple of roll down ladders but a couple of those on a twin tube version would seem a good idea.

 

Latest simplified message attached

Attached is the latest version of the simplfied message I want to get out to non-naval architects looking for guidance. I'm requesting assistance translating this into Arabic, art, whatever will help communicate and disseminate information that could save lives by educating people about the safe use of boats.