The ambulance ship Ocean Viking, which is chartered by the humanitarian organization SOS Méditerranée, rescued 244 migrants who were in danger off the coast of Libya, in three rescue operations, the Marseille-based non-governmental organization announced.

Around 1 a.m. Wednesday, the Ocean Viking received a call for help from an overloaded wooden boat with dozens of people on board and no rescue equipment available. Activists launched three plastic dinghies to help the 122 passengers, among whom were eight unaccompanied minors. They were then contacted by a Libyan patrol boat that was near the wooden boat and asked them to rescue the migrants.

After this first rescue, the Italian authorities designated Bari as a “safe” port of disembarkation. As the Ocean Viking headed north, it spotted another wooden vessel, also overloaded. With the help of the Italian authorities, the crew rescued 106 people, including eight women (both were pregnant) and four children.

The business was still in progress when another vessel was spotted at a distance of 26 km from Ocean Viking. SOS Méditerranée thus rescued another 16 people.

SOS Méditerranée has rescued more than 39,000 people in the Mediterranean since 2016. Since January, 2,678 migrants are missing after trying to cross the Mediterranean to reach Europe, according to data from the International Organization for Migration.