Migrants crossing of Med Sea exceed 300,000
The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) has recently announced that 200,000 migrants and refugees have landed in Greece since the beginning of 2015.
This figure includes the dramatic increase of arrivals in recent weeks. According to UNHRC, more refugees and migrants arrived in Greece during the month of July (50,242) than during the whole of last year (43,500). It was also reported that, during the second week of August, a total of 20,843 migrants arrived in Greece by sea. The vast majority came from Syria (16,997 migrants or 82% of the total), Afghanistan (2,847 migrants or 14%) and Iraq (582 migrants or 3%).
This sharp increase in arrivals to Greece brings the total number of refugees and migrants crossing the Mediterranean this year to some 300,000. This includes nearly 200,000 to Greece, approximately 110,000 to Italy, 1,953 to Spain, and 94 to Malta. At the same time, up to 2,500 refugees and migrants are feared dead this year, trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea in search of better opportunities.
| The Standard P&I Club recommends that members with ships trading in this region are fully prepared in the event their assistance is required to engage in a search and rescue (SAR) operation. |
Source: The Standard P&I Club
