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" Thousands of migrants die on the sea but it’s not just because of their rickety boats – merchant vessels fail to assist them due to the difficulties of discharging them, according to a maritime expert.(...) To illustrate the sheer complexities which face a shipmaster rescuing migrants, Capt. Rabitz described a hypothetical scenario of a container vessel with a crew of 22 which has spotted a sinking boat with 95 migrants on the way to Malta. Food, water and supplies must be prepared while ladders and other gear must be lowered. Key people must be contacted: the ship’s owners, charterers, insurance people, agents in Malta, the UNHCR and the FlagState. Those in need of medical assistance are separated while the skipper is interviewed. Several crew members endeavour to set up a list of the 95 refugees with names and nationalities. Clothes and belongings are searched for ID documents and possibly hidden items that could be used as weapons. The vessel’s command on the bridge is in non-stop communication with the owners, the charterers, the shipping agents and the Rescue Coordination Centre. Orders are received from the authorities in Malta via the agents that the vessel is prohibited from entering the harbour due to quarantine regulations. The ship is then boarded by maritime police, customs officers, officers of the port health authorities and representatives of the local UNHCR office. Meanwhile, it is getting dark and again preparations take place for water, food and other supplies to allow the migrants to spend another night on board. Days may pass before the migrants are allowed to disembark. “One may expect that it will take some time until all concerned questions, discussions, costs and consequences will have been sorted out between owners and charterers,” Capt. Rabitz said."http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/.See also :Migrations, sauvetage en mer et droits humains, Philippe Rekacewicz (blog Visions cartographiques), Le Monde diplomatique, 27/09/2009 http://blog.mondediplo.net/2009-09-27