Overview
- The Ocean Viking, operated by SOS Méditerranée, rescued 273 migrants, including seven children, during three operations on May 17, 2025.
- The first rescue, prompted by an AlarmPhone alert, saved 65 people from an overloaded wooden boat in the Tunisian search and rescue region.
- In the second operation, 77 migrants, including two children, were transferred to the Ocean Viking after initial assistance by Sea Watch's Aurora vessel.
- A third rescue in the Maltese search and rescue region saved 131 people, including a baby and four children, from a distressed wooden boat.
- The International Organization for Migration reports nearly 500 migrant deaths or disappearances in the Mediterranean so far in 2025, underscoring the ongoing humanitarian crisis.