The fishing village of Marsaxlokk was outraged at the Armed Forces of Malta’s search and rescue methods as the close-knit community waited with abated breath for news of 11-year-old Theo Bugeja, who is the only remaining missing member on board the ill-fated trawler, Simshar.
The trawler is believed to have suffered an explosion last Friday week, leaving four fishermen and the young child stranded out at sea.
Simon Bugeja – the child’s father – was the only one to be found alive, last Friday by another fishing trawler, the Grecale. He is now recovering at Mater Dei Hospital.
A corpse found at sea yesterday in an advanced state of decomposition is believed to be that of an Eritrean member of the crew, called Abdul.
The corpse of another fisherman, Noel Carabott was recovered Thursday night, while Simon Bugeja’s father, Karmnu, was recovered Friday.
“Up until last Friday, us Xlukkajri were very demoralised. Now we are all very angry at the AFM,” said the president of the National Fisheries Cooperative, Toni Carabott, echoing the general feeling of the Marsaxlokk fishing community.
“If it weren’t for the army, we would have found them (the missing) long before. As searches started, the AFM told us to keep fishing boats away so as not to disrupt the search and rescue operation. A lot of us co-operated, while a good number didn’t even go out fishing so as to make the search and rescue more effective,” he said.
Contacted by this newspaper, a spokesperson for the army categorically denied that the army asked fishermen to stay away, insisting that the AFM actually trained fishermen and provided them with co-ordinates to help out in the search and rescue operation.
Last Wednesday in fact, AFM officials sent for representatives of the fishing community and family members to provide them with a demonstration of the technology used by the AFM in search and rescue operations.
“If I was doubtful of how effective zone exploration is, this meeting really confirmed them,” Carabott said. “They ran us through what technology is used and showed us how they can even locate a can of coke from a certain distance. They convinced us that it would take nothing to find them. Now we know that only one of the planes used for the operation was equipped with that technology. Had we known this before, we would have advised on where the plane should be sent to locate the missing – a different zone to where the plane was searching.
“One of the army officials even had the cheek to tell us that he’s been all over the world lecturing about this technology and he told one of Karmnu’s relatives that he has lectured about the use of this equipment in the US. What did he teach in the States? How to locate cans of coke?”
Carabott also complained that as soon as the Grecale located and rescued Simon Bugeja Friday, the AFM advised the crew members not to move or speak to anyone until a patrol boat reached them.
“Chances are that if Simon was found in the area, the others would have been close – so in that case we could have immediately called for more help in that area,” Carabott said.
“Theo was being kept on what we call a ‘sack’, but this is really a huge bag that is filled with floats,” Carabott continued. “To prevent the sun from scorching his skin, his father took his clothes off, wet them and covered him in them. So by the time Simon was found, he was naked and totally exhausted. The most sensible thing to do in that case was to transport him onto land.”
But the AFM spokesperson defended the army’s stand saying this was standard procedure: “This is standard procedure. If he (Simon Bugeja) was in a life threatening situation, we would have been counselled to draw nearer to Malta. Fishing vessels are not equipped to lift casualties.”
The co-operative also wanted to rent out a plane to help in the search and rescue operations, but the AFM advised it not to. Still, yesterday morning, a private plane belonging to Saviour Ellul of Elbros went out to help and found a corpse at sea.
“There is some reason to believe the corpse belongs to the foreigner who was with the team, but then it could also be of an asylum seeker,” Carabott said.
“On Friday, fishermen helping out in the search increased substantially. At a point a group that had been out there for a long time were very low on fuel. Thanks to Salvu (Ellul) fuel was sent to them, saving them the time to come back in for refuelling,” he added.
Carabott also questioned the effectiveness of the search and rescue operations in this specific case, commenting: “If I have to praise the army for one thing, it is the time it takes for them to locate a vessel when a crew member is reported injured. During the tuna season you are always bound to have injuries on board. Every time such incidents occurred, and the vessel calls for help, the AFM acts so fast that the injured are often being treated at hospital within an hour.”
“If I am on a boat and I have an injury, I am in a known position with radio contact and they can zoom right on me,” the AFM spokesperson rebutted. “Their tracking equipment is there for reasons having to do with the fisheries. It is not a safety device. Everybody is putting the magnifying glass on the AFM but nobody is seeing the other side of the story… Some people are also asking how they managed to survive for eight days without drinking fresh water. There are a lot of questions to be asked, and we can’t just draw what happened before investigations are concluded.”
Meanwhile, emotions in Marsaxlokk are running high as flags are being held at half mast and talks of cancelling the village feast due in a fortnight are ongoing. Grief can be felt in the village centre and many moorings are empty due to the number of boats out at sea looking for the young boy.
Restaurant owners Joe Genovese and star chef Neil Debono, a keen ‘Xlukkajr’, accompanied Carabott, who seemed clearly tired and in bereavement.
Karmnu Bugeja was a close friend of Carabott, who describes him as “a man with incredible stamina”.
“He didn’t even know how to swim, and yet he survived for so long at sea. He was a fantastic fisherman, but also very resourceful and skilful in many other things. He had the ability to learn as soon as he sees something being done the first time round,” Carabott said.