Artist Banksy is buying a refugee rescue boat to patrol the Mediterranean.

Rome – British street artist Banksy It is funding a ship covered in its artwork to rescue migrants in the Mediterranean and has so far picked up at least 89 people, a newspaper reported. The German-flagged ship named after 19th-century French anarchist Louis Michel left the Spanish port of Boriana on August 18, British newspaper The Guardian reported late Thursday.

A chartered boat under tight security rescued 89 people, including 14 women and two children, in the central Mediterranean on Thursday, the newspaper said.

“It is now looking for a safe port to disembark the passengers or transfer them to a European Coast Guard vessel,” the newspaper said.

Painted in bright pink, the pot features Banksy’s artwork depicting a girl in a life vest holding a heart-shaped safety buoy.

The 101-foot motor yacht, previously owned by French customs officials, is smaller but faster than other NGO rescue vessels, The Guardian said.

It has a crew of 10 “composed of European workers with long experience in search and rescue operations” and is led by German human rights activist Pia Klemp, who also commands other NGO rescue ships. He has captained.

Banksy’s involvement in the rescue mission dates back to September 2019 when he sent an email to Clamp.

According to The Guardian, Banksy wrote, “Hi Pia, I read about your story in the papers. You seem like a badass.

“I’m an artist from the UK and I’ve done some work about the migrant crisis, obviously I can’t keep the money. Can you use it to buy a new boat or something? Please let me know. Tell me. Well done. Banksy.”

Klemp, who initially thought it was a prank, told the newspaper he believed he was chosen because of his political stance. “I don’t see sea rescue as a humanitarian action, but as part of an anti-fascist fight,” she told The Guardian.

Klemp told the newspaper that he hoped the ship’s speed would allow its crew to “get past the so-called Libyan coast guard before they get on boats with refugees and migrants and take them back to Libyan detention camps.” will.”

Earlier this month, humanitarian organizations said they would resume migrant rescues in the Mediterranean, where none have operated since the Ocean Viking sank off Italy in early July.

Before Ocean Viking’s final mission, rescue operations in the Mediterranean had been suspended globally for months. Corona virus global outbreak.

According to the International Organization for Migration, more than 100,000 migrants tried to cross the Mediterranean Sea from North Africa last year, and more than 1,200 people died in the attempt.