An IOM and Mauritanian Red Crescent team which yesterday reached a
stranded vessel in international waters carrying hundreds of
migrants on board and which successfully delivered five tons of
food and water was able to speak to one of the Asian migrants for
the first time by radio.

The journey to the boat, stranded in high seas, has highlighted
the need for the vessel to be brought to shore in order to be able
to provide assistance to those on board.

"It is difficult to imagine any kind of solution for the
migrants as long as this boat is on the high seas, particularly
with the waves being as strong as they are," said IOM's Michael
Tschanz, head of IOM’s office in Nouakchott, who travelled
together with a representative from the Mauritanian Red Crescent by
boat with the humanitarian supplies donated by the Spanish Red
Cross.

An Ivorian on board the ship told IOM by radio that there were
372 migrants on board, the majority of them from South Asia. After
requesting to speak to one of the Asians, one man told IOM that he
had travelled to Abidjan where he was kept for four months in a
house before boarding the vessel, Marine 1, two and a half months
ago.

According to the man, the group of Asians was not allowed to go
to the upper decks and the men were at risk of being beaten if they
did so.

"We can't rule out that there are smugglers on board the vessel
as well as migrants," added Tschanz. "This makes it very difficult
to negotiate with those on board, particularly while the vessel is
at sea. The man we spoke to told us that the most important thing
for them was to get to land and until that happens, we cannot have
a clear picture of the situation."

For further information, please contact:

Jemini Pandya

IOM Geneva

Tel: + 41 22 717 9486

Mobile: + 41 79 217 3374

E-mail: "mailto:jpandya@iom.int">jpandya@iom.int