The equipment has been sent to Malta where it will be put into immediate use by MOAS, The Migrant Offshore Aid Station. MOAS is currently equipped with a 40-metre expedition vessel, the Phoenix, two Remote Piloted Aircraft, two RHIBs (rigid-hulled inflatable boats), and a highly experienced team of rescuers and paramedics. Since it’s set-up in 2013, MOAS has rescued over 6000 migrants attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea.

Land and Marine Products based in Fleet Hampshire, manufacture the Jason’s Cradle, a man overboard safety device considered to be one of the most respected “man overboard” recovery, embarkation/disembarkation and evacuation systems in the world.

Jason's Cradle is designed to retrieve people quickly and horizontally from the water, thus reducing the possibilities of “dry drowning” now more commonly known as Circum Rescue Collapse. A key feature of modern sea rescue, the horizontal lift for man overboard operations, has now become critical in the marine world and by using the Jason's Cradle, not only is this achievable, but it is one of the safest and quickest methods of retrieval for conscious and / or unconscious casualties.

MOAS consists of international humanitarians, security professionals, medical staff, and experienced maritime officers who have come together to help prevent further catastrophes at sea and is the first privately-funded mission to assist migrants. Its primary aim is to reduce loss of life during dangerous migrant crossings from North Africa to Europe. 

The project was inspired by several recent catastrophes in the Mediterranean, which migrants regularly attempt to cross in unseaworthy vessels. MOAS has itself received a wide variety of press attention due to the fantastic nature of the work they are completing.

The units were dispatched from the Fleet manufacturing plant and were due to arrive at MOAS by the middle of June. Land and Marine Products Managing Director Garth Matthews, was to fly to Malta to meet with Ian Ruggier of MOAS a few days later. Garth will spend 2-3 days with MOAS training the highly capable team in how best to use the Jason’s Cradle units.