Valaris DS-10 supports rescue of refugees in the Atlantic Ocean

Recently, while making the voyage from Nigeria to Las Palmas in the Canary Islands, the bridge crew of the VALARIS DS-10 noticed a small wooden boat approximately 150 nautical miles off the northwest coast of Africa. The poorly equipped small wooden boat was overcrowded with what appeared to be refugees and was clearly in distress. “It was one of those situations where you first ask yourself: ‘is this real?’,” recalls Captain Aubry Logan, Master, VALARIS DS-10.

The boat, obviously in need of assistance, was first reported by 2nd Mate Daniil Scuckij at about noon on Monday, Aug. 26. “It was not feasible to get this large number of people transferred safely aboard the rig using our fast rescue craft,” said Captain Logan. “After quickly assessing the situation, I contacted Andrew and brought him up to speed.”

Andrew DeMetropolis, Sr. Manager – Marine and Designated Person Onshore, recounted: “When Captain Logan provided the details, I was first relieved to learn that the DS-10 was not in any danger, but the situation of the small craft adrift with refugees was extremely precarious and required immediate action. At that point, the decision was clear – we had to help .”

The group concluded that the most practical course of action was to notify the Gran Canaria Coast Guard and the duty officer in the Marshall Islands, the flag state authority for the rig. In consultation with them, the team decided that the rig should remain at a safe distance and maintain visual contact with the boat until coast guard personnel could reach the scene the next day. This was a tense period for the Bridge team on the rig: If they got too close, the people on the boat could be tempted to jump into the water and try to swim to the rig at their peril; moving too far away could mean losing sight of the refugee boat.

Thankfully, the next day - approximately 22 hours after the rig crew first spotted the boat - the refugees were safely transferred onto a Spanish Coast Guard vessel. During this difficult personnel transfer, the DS-10 was asked to take up a position that would shield the two smaller vessels ?from the impact of the waves. In the end, the Spanish coast guard reported that 120 persons had been rescued from the small wooden craft, including 15 women and 11 small children.

On this day and for this group of refugees, the quick action of the rig team – both on board and the team onshore - led to ?an outcome that was as successful as it could have been, given the dangerous situation faced by the refugees. “Thank you to Captain Logan for the leadership shown here and my sincere thanks to the entire crew for their support throughout this incident,” said Jason Morganelli, General Manager, Middle East, Africa and Asia-Pacific Operations. “Thank you once again for your assistance in this search and rescue case,” commented the Duty Officer with the Spanish Coast Guard in Las Palmas.

“At the end of the day, there are 120 people that really had little chance of survival that now have a chance,” concluded Captain Logan.