According to energy company Shell and a rescue NGO, up to 70 migrants hoping to cross the Mediterranean sought safety on an oil platform before being handed over to Tunisian police.
On Tuesday, the rescue ship Louise Michel said that it had rescued 31 people from a drifting wooden boat in bad weather, while “another 65-70 people have been holding out all night on the Shell oil platform” they had climbed.
Shell Tunisia confirmed that an unspecified number of migrants arrived at its Miskar platform, approximately 120 kilometres (75 miles) off the Tunisian coast, on Monday at 8 p.m. Tunisian time (19:00 GMT).
“The migrants received assistance and were provided with water, food, and dry clothing,” the firm stated, adding that it had notified Tunisian authorities.
“Since then, the migrants have been safely transferred to the Tunisian Navy vessel on January 4, 2022 at approximately 2 p.m. Tunisian time,” the statement continued.
The Louise Michel is a 30-metre (98-foot) former French navy warship that has been decorated by enigmatic British artist Banksy, who is also one of the vessel’s supporters.
It is one of numerous rescue ships operating in the Mediterranean, as tens of thousands of migrants attempt to reach Europe each year, frequently in overcrowded and leaky boats.
It is not uncommon for some stranded individuals to seek sanctuary aboard offshore oil installations, however operators caution that this can be perilous.
According to the UN refugee agency, more than 115,000 individuals arrived by sea in Italy, Greece, Spain, Cyprus, and Malta last year, while nearly 1,800 died or went missing (UNHCR).
