Geo Barents is a rescue and salvage ship owned by Uksnøy & Co AS. She is currently chartered by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF, or Doctors Without Borders) for sea-rescue operations of refugees in the Mediterranean since June 2021.[2] Geo Barents is the sixth ship chartered or operated by MSF for humanitarian missions.[2][3] Geo Barents sails under the Norwegian flag.[2]
 Geo Barents in 2022
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Norway | |
| Name | Geo Barents |
| Owner | Uksnøy & Co AS |
| Operator | Médecins Sans Frontières |
| Port of registry | Ålesund |
| Builder | Havyard Solstrand |
| Launched | 2007 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Rescue and salvage ship |
| Tonnage | |
| Length | 76.95 m (252 ft 6 in) |
| Draught | 8.6 m (28 ft 3 in) |
| Decks | 2 (one for men and one for women and children) |
| Crew |
|
Description
editGeo Barents was built in 2007 by Havyard Solstrand A/S,[4] by extending and converting the hull of a fishing trawler built in Braila in Romania.[5] She was originally designed as a geological research vessel.[2] The ship is 76.95 meters long with two main decks and a bridge.
Since chartering the vessel, MSF has adapted her for search and rescue.[6] Her two decks have been adapted to create two separate accommodation sections for rescued perople: one for men, the other for women and children. The vessel has facilities for MSF teams to carry out medical assistance activities. The ship can deploy two fast rigid inflatable boats during rescue operations, and is operated by 20 MSF personnel together with typically 12 crew for maritime operations.
Operational history
edit
Geo Barents operated as a research vessel studying seismic oceanography from her launch in 2007 until 2021. Initially the ship was chartered for three years to the Fugro-Geoteam company, being used for geological research for the TGS-NOPEC Geophysical Company in the Gulf of Mexico as part of the Stanley 3D project.[7][5]
In 2021 she was chartered for operation for MSF.
After sailing from Ålesund in Norway on 13 May 2021, on 10 June 2021 during the first of the ship's operations MSF made their first rescue of refugees from the sea. By 14 June 2021, there were 400 aboard, who were disembarked at Augusta, Sicily on 18 June.[8][9]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "GEO BARENTS, Search & Rescue Vessel - Details and current position - IMO 9252503 - VesselFinder". www.vesselfinder.com. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
- ^ a b c d "MSF returns to the sea to rescue migrants". www.italy24news.com. Archived from the original on 26 June 2021. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
- ^ Palomo, Elvira (1 June 2021). "Inside the latest mission to save migrants in the Mediterranean". EL PAÍS English. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
- ^ "Geo Barents". uksnoy.no. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
- ^ a b "Geo Barents Seismic Survey Vessel". Ship Technology. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
- ^ "MSF returns to saving lives at sea in central Mediterranean | MSF". Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) International. 13 May 2021. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
- ^ "Geo Barents (04/2007)". maritimt.com. 27 April 2007. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
- ^ "Hundreds of Migrants Rescued by MSF Charity Land in Sicily". Reuters / www.usnews.com. 18 June 2021. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
- ^ "410 migrants on board the Geo Barents, searching for a safe harbor". InfoMigrants. 14 June 2021. Retrieved 15 March 2024.