On board the Ocean Viking (AFP)

A clamor, applause, then screams of joy, songs and hugs broke out Friday on the deck of the Ocean Viking at the announcement of an upcoming landing in Malta of 356 African survivors who have been waiting for some for a fortnight on board.

"OHHHHH, da Alshokhol! Great job! Congratulations!", "Thank you Malta", "Thank you SOS", "Thank you all", an explosion of happiness manifested with arms raised, capsized heads and bodies entwined by the very young people who make up the majority of the people collected, after fleeing Libya on rubber boats that guaranteed them little future.

"We will never go back!" have immediately sung Sudanese, who account for two thirds of the groups rescued through four rescues operated by SOS Mediterranean seamen, between 9 and 12 August.

Jay Berger, the coordinator of Médecins Sans Frontières' mission, gathered them mid-day after the distribution of food rations in one of the containers turned into a shelter on the bridge. He planned to proceed in small groups along the bridge but in this closed world, no secret - especially of this magnitude - could be spared.

So they all massed to hear him announce, first in English, the news of their imminent landing.

Translated into English and French, each statement sparked the same explosion of happiness, shouting, yelling and applause.

The joy has overwhelmed the container ship, breaking on the wooden bridge where all sleep, tight, promiscuity, for nearly two weeks.

"Thank you mama!": The young people quickly turned to MSF's medical team, kissing and lifting MSF nurse Mary Jo, who has taken care of them since they arrived on board.

They then succeeded to hug the rescuers of SOS, Tanguy, Clement, Antoninus, Basil, Eric, Alessandro and the others, carried in triumph above the heads, the five babies and children of the edge hoisted on the shoulders.

- Tears of sailors -

The Spaniard Marco, one of the sailors, admits his emotion. "It's made me crying, I cried." "We never get used to it," confirmed his friend, Jeremy. "How can one get used to love?"

The Filipino crew joined the party, including the cook, very moved during the first rescue. The Norwegian captain, an old West African driver, came down from the catwalk to rejoice with this crowd overflowing with happiness.

In a tweet, Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said that the landing would be off, by transferring candidates for immigration on the stars of his coastguard.

None of the interested parties even thought of asking "when?" operations could begin, nor noted that the Ocean Viking was not allowed to dock in Malta.

What is the importance for all these young people fleeing violence that only aspire to "security, to study and work so that they can send money to families".

No further details were immediately given to the sequence or the schedule of operations.

This final transfer, which finally brings them to Europe, will be the last before the mainland after those who led them during the rescue operations of their inflatable dinghy rescue Zodiac, then to the deck of the Ocean Viking (OV) .

The OV, which had been waiting for 12 days between Malta and Lampedusa, is expected to arrive around 16:00 (1400 GMT) 15 nautical miles (about 28 km) from the Maltese coast - out of national waters where it can not enter - and where it will wait until instructions, announced SOS Mediterranean.

© 2019 AFP