Event overview
Pat Rubio Bertran (Aston University)
On May 6, 2021, I was on board the Sea Eye 4, a civil rescue ship, when we were alerted about a distress call in the Maltese search and rescue zone. Malta refused to assist, and we were a three-day journey away from the distress case. At that point, the people in the wooden boat had been adrift for four days.
While we were deciding whether to set sail to that position, a cargo vessel passed by, and while they claimed they could not take the people onboard, they distributed food and water. Two days after, another cargo ship decided to rescue them. The ship’s company then asked us to meet them halfway to transfer the people to our ship so, as they said, they could be better supported.
Tracing these examples of solidarity, and lack thereof, this session will explore the conditions that should take place to foster and trigger solidarity from the maritime shipping industry, and why that matters. This industry is known for operating within conditions of modern slavery and exploitation, incentivised by the same systems that kill and disappear migrants at sea. Understanding the structures in which merchant's vessels operate, as well as their incentives, will allow us to understand under what conditions solidarity can arise and how we can involve this industry in conversations around solidarity at sea.
Pat Rubio Bertran is a PhD candidate at Aston University's Centre for Migration and Forced Displacement, researching migration and solidarity. Pat also participates as a volunteer rescue crew for several civil search and rescue (SAR) organisations in the Mediterranean. Previously, Pat worked as Production Manager for the documentary feature "Another Place" (coming in 2023), which follows the lives of asylum seekers in several European countries as they attempt to rebuild their lives. Pat holds an LLM in Human Rights Law, where they specialise in legal research regarding the sea, borders, and migration. Pronouns: she/he/they.
The event is organised in the frame of the project "Being Political at Sea", supported by the Goldsmiths Early Career Research Fund.
Dates & times
| Date | Time | Add to calendar |
|---|---|---|
| 20 Jun 2023 | 5:00pm - 7:00pm |
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