A series of boats carrying migrants have been picked up south of the islands of Crete and Gavdos over the last couple of days. Reports in Greek newspapers and a press release from the Greek Coast Guard confirm a number of boats arriving.

A patrol boat from the EU border agency Frontex rescued 56 migrants from a vessel southeast of Kaloi Limenes. In a separate operation, a Greek rescue vessel picked up 44 people from a boat located around eight nautical miles off Psari Forada, reported the Greek newspaper Ekathimerini. The newspaper reported the total of 100 migrants arrived on Monday -- however, the Greek coast guard appears to report similar boatloads and locations having arrived on Sunday.

Data on arrivals from the UNHCR has not yet been updated for this week, but adding the reported arrivals this weekend together would bring the total number of migrant arrivals since Saturday to at least 281.

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Arrivals on Sunday

In the early hours of Sunday morning, according to a press release from the coast guard, 85 migrants (84 men and one woman) were found about 26 nautical miles south of Gavdos. A 27-year-old man from South Sudan was arrested on allegations of smuggling. According to the Greek authorities, the group had set off from Tobruk in eastern Libya.

Also on Sunday, another group of 44 migrants (41 men and three minors) was found at sea about six nautical miles off Kala Limenas, in southern Crete. In this case, too, two 20-year-old South Sudanese nationals were "identified by the others as traffickers who transported them from Tobruk, Libya in exchange for money," and were arrested.

This group of migrants told the Greek authorities that they had set off in the evening on May 9 and had paid between 13,000 and 14,000 Libyan dinars (between about 1,747 euros and 1,881 euros) to make the journey.

Another group, this time with reportedly 43 migrants on board (38 men and five minors), was discovered at sea about 45 nautical miles south of Kala Limenas. This group was picked up by a patrol boat and brought to the Cretan port. They also said they had set off on May 9, but earlier in the day, and again departed Tobruk. This group told the authorities they had paid a mixture of Libyan and Egyptian currencies for the journey, but a similar price for the crossing as the other group.

Yet again, a 19-year-old migrant from South Sudan was identified as a suspected “trafficker and arrested."

The coast guard confirmed that on Sunday afternoon, a Frontex force vessel was dispatched to assist a boat around 45 nautical miles south of Gavdos with 56 migrants on board, all male. They were taken to the port of Agia Galini on Crete and then taken to a shelter in Rethymno.

On May 10, the coast guard also reported the detection of a boat with 40 migrants on board, south of Gavdos. In this case, a 31-year-old Sudanese national was arrested after having been identified as a smuggler by the rest of the group.

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Arrivals on Saturday

At noon on Saturday (May 9), the Coast Guard stated, a Greek patrol vessel spotted a high-speed vessel with migrants on board headed towards the island of Kos. On board were reportedly eight migrants, two men, three women and three minors. They were taken to the port of Kos and all reported to be in "good health." A 37-year-old Iranian citizen, one of the men on board, was arrested for facilitating "illegal entry and exit from the country." The Greek authorities say he was identified as a trafficker by the others on board.

Also on Saturday, on the island of Gavdos, officers from the Gavdos Port Authority found 40 migrants on a beach in Trypitis. The group, reportedly consisted of 33 men, six women and one minor, who were all "in good health." They were taken to the port to be transferred to the larger nearby island of Crete.

The Greek newspaper Ekathimerini also reported that 13 migrants had been found "squashed into cars" at Greece’s land border with Turkey in the northeastern Evros region.

According to the Greek authorities, two people were arrested believed to belong to smuggling rings. The Greek police said that the two arrests were made separately on Saturday (May 9). In one of the cars, there were reportedly seven migrants squashed inside and in the other six people.

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Libya-Greece route

Data from the UN Refugee Agency UNHCR, last updated on May 3, shows that more than 1,974 migrants have crossed into Greece via its land border with Turkey so far this year, and more than 5,615 people have arrived by sea. The majority of those (2,916) have arrived on the islands of Crete and its satellite Gavdos.

On Sunday, Greece’s Migration Minister Thanos Plevris told Greek television that he believed there were more than half a million migrants and refugees waiting in Libya for an opportunity to cross to Europe, reported the German press agency dpa.

Plevris said he estimated the number could be around 550,000 and that he was coordinating with the European border agency Frontex and with the Libyan authorities to try and target people smuggling gangs and try and block departures from the Libyan coast.

The route from Libya towards southern Greece is gradually becoming more popular, after a series of agreements between EU countries and the Libyan authorities resulted in a reduction in the number of successful crossings from western Libya towards Italy.

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Dangerous journeys

There are two rival administrations in Libya, and a network of militias and smuggling networks that operate across the countries. One of the main routes now brings in migrants from as far away as Bangladesh, via the Gulf states and Egypt and on to eastern Libya. Many of the migrants traveling on this route will have been issued with entry visas by the eastern Libyan authorities, under the control of Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar.

Some of those who entered might believe they have come to work in Libya, while others are hoping to continue their journeys towards Europe. After landing in Benghazi, many migrants recount that they are held in various holding accommodations and are often exchanged between different groups, quite often detained and extorted, before finally being allowed to board a boat, either from eastern Libya or the western part towards Europe.

Most of the boats used by the smugglers are overcrowded, and many are unseaworthy or not equipped with enough fuel to reach their destination. Thousands of people are estimated to have died already this year on sea routes towards Europe, although the exact figures are difficult to ascertain, since they rely on survivor testimony or discovery. Many of the boats depart at night or in the early hours of the morning, and their eventual disappearance might only come to light weeks or months later, if bodies wash ashore, or if relatives inform the authorities that they have lost touch with their loved ones.

With dpa

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