“Proud of the ship's crew, we saved 67 people”

ĐORĐIJE ZA RTCG

Strong wind, waves, storm, are not unknown to sailors, not even to the young Đorđija Darmanović, another deck officer, who never dreamed that one night, just like that, he would be part of a large action in which 67 migrants were saved. With only five years of maritime experience, the 23-year-old Baranin says for the RTCG Portal that he is always ready to act in similar situations exactly as required by the morals, dignity and vocation he has chosen.

Crew of the Greek ship “Saint Vassilios”, on which Georgije is the second deck officer, rescued 67 migrants in the Aegean Sea on the night between Sunday and Monday.

The migrants were on a small ship when they were hit by a severe storm, but they managed to send a signal for help.

Đorđije, for our Portal, says that on Sunday (October 3) at around 10 pm they received a signal for help from the coastal station Helenik.

They circled around the sailboat 17 times, the action lasted almost seven hours

They were informed that there was a boat near their position, nine nautical miles away, which sent a signal that it was in danger.

“They asked us if we were close enough, or how long we could get to the ship. At that moment, I was on the bridge of the ship and I called the captain to consult with him about the event. After I met the captain, he came to the bridge and then we determined that the boat was at a distance of nine nautical miles. The captain informed the coastal station Helenik about it “, says Đorđija, details from the night that he will surely never forget.

Shortly after that, they started a search and rescue operation.

“After an hour, we spotted a sailboat on the high seas in very poor condition and saw four people on it, waving lamps. The weather conditions were very bad, due to strong winds and waves. During the rescue, we circled around the sailboat 17 times, and the action lasted a full seven hours. The action was tense and demanding for all crew members who have much more work experience in seafaring “, states Đorđije.

He says that after many difficult and demanding maneuvers, about four hours later, they managed to moor a small sailboat to their ship.

“At that time, we determined that there were a total of 67 migrants on that sailboat. When we finally loaded them on the ship and provided them with food and drink and we checked if someone needed medical help, we were instructed on how to transfer the migrants to the competent authorities “, points out Đorđije.

He is proud of the ship’s crew and the joint efforts they have made and says that the rescue of 67 people is the merit of the entire crew of the ship, led by the captain.

“I have been a sailor for five years and despite the not so long experience, I am ready to always act in the same way in such situations, which obliges me to morality, dignity, and a vocation that I have been dealing with with love from the beginning “, says Đorđije in a statement for the RTCG Portal.

After the action, as he points out, they received praise from the “Coas guard” of Greece, who congratulated them on the selfless and successful action, after which the migrants were handed over to the Greek authorities.