An Isle of Wight company has developed a buoyancy aid to help the humanitarian crisis in the southern Mediterranean.
This summer saw an increase in the number of refugees fleeing countries such as Syria by crossing stretches of the Mediterranean in dangerously overloaded boats and rafts. The crisis was really brought into the public’s consciousness when photos of three and five year old brothers washed up on a beach went global.
Local testing
Last weekend a group of volunteers gathered on the River Medina to help Seaflex Ltd carry out further tests on the new Buoyancy Aid.
It was filmed by Richard Manser from Safesite, as well as the BBC and Discovery Channel.
Already helped to save refugees
Unique Group’s Buoyancy & Ballast division has developed and supplied CentiFloat™ 100+ person reusable Seaflex buoyancy aids to facilitate large-scale rescue at sea.
They explain,
“These aids were first used by the Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS) Foundation on an operation to save approximately 700 refugees from a perilously-overloaded and unstable wooden boat on Thursday 6th August 2015.”
Watch on TV
A report is expected to be screened on the BBC1 news at 6pm on Monday evening.
However, in the meantime you can watch some of the aerial drone video shot by Richard below.
