An Ottawa man who was aboard a luxury cruise ship that rescued dozens of asylum seekers adrift off the west coast of Africa is calling the vessels’s crew “heroes” for their efforts to save as many lives as possible.
Stuart Hendin, a justice sector reform training consultant, was aboard the Insignia as a lecturer when the vessel was called upon to assist in a migrant rescue operation on June 19.
A cargo ship had first spotted the migrant boat drifting 815 kilometres south of Tenerife and packed with people, Spain’s maritime rescue agency said on X.
Spanish authorities then diverted the Insignia to help in the rescue.
“We got the warning over the ship’s PA system shortly after six in the evening and the seas were very rough,” Hendin told CBC’s Ottawa Morning last week.
“When the boat actually came up close to the side of the Insignia, we could see water sloshing in the bottom,” he recalled.
“We were able to see obviously the people in it, but regrettably we also saw what looked like three or four bodies on the bottom.”
A dangerous route
The Canary Islands have become a common destination for asylum seekers from West Africa, but the Atlantic Ocean route is especially hazardous due to strong currents.
In the first five months of 2024, more than 5,000 migrants died at sea while trying to reach Spain. According to a report from the migration rights group Walking Borders, 95 per cent of those deaths occurred along this route.
Spain’s Canary Islands are seeing a jump in the number of migrants attempting to make the journey from Africa.
Hendin learned that this particular boat had departed Dakar, Senegal, and had been adrift for 20 days.
“There were three vessels that started together. Then when the engine on the one that we picked up failed, the other two kept going,” he said.
Hendin said the cruise ship’s crew weren’t trained to deal with such a complex rescue mission, but still did everything they could for the disabled boat’s passengers.
“What was remarkable is that some of the deck crew actually went on board the small boat and they quite literally were taking their life in their hands because the seas were anything but calm,” Hendin said.
68 people rescued
They managed to rescue 68 people and recover three bodies. Due to bad weather, the remains of two individuals could not be retrieved and were left at sea with a locating beacon for future recovery.
Hendin said some of the Insignia’s crew were visibly shaken by the experience.
“One of the waiters that I actually had become a good friend with on the ship was really, really depressed. When I was talking to him afterwards, he quite literally was weeping with what he’d seen,” Hendin said.
The Insignia’s theatre was quickly converted into a makeshift hospital while the ship changed course for Tenerife.
“It was interesting because when people got on board they were able to identify the smuggler who actually had put them on the boat in the first place,” Hendin said. “Hopefully that individual is going to face fairly severe consequences.”
Upon arrival in Tenerife, the rescued migrants were taken to a mobile receiving centre set up by the Red Cross.
“The crew on that ship, all of them were the real heroes,” Hendin said.
Ottawa Morning9:25A dramatic rescue of 68 migrants from a stalled fishing boat
Stu Hendin was on board a cruise ship off the coast of West Africa when it came across a small fishing boat teeming with migrants. A dramatic rescue operation ensued.