Setting course for new rescue
HOBART woman Madeleine Habib is once again using her seafaring skills to advocate for social justice in the wider world.
The 51-year-old — a mix of master mariner and humanitarian — is currently working as search and rescue co-ordinator aboard the Aquarius, a ship chartered by the non-governmental organisation SOS Mediterranee to rescue migrants in distress in the Mediterranean Sea.
“It makes me feel worthwhile,” she told the Mercury via email this week. “To give more than I take.”
Ms Habib has a history of international humanitarian work. She was detained by the Israeli Navy in 2016 while attempting to break the decade-long Israeli blockade of aid to Gaza while captain of the Women’s Boat to Gaza.
Aboard the boat with Ms Habib were 12 other women, including a Nobel Peace Prize recipient, two women over the age of 70, an ex-US military general, a Tunisian member of parliament and an Olympic beach volleyball player. The diverse group attracted global news coverage during their voyage, particularly for their unique style of protest after inviting the Israeli forces to join them aboard the Zaytona-Oliva to discuss the situation in Gaza over tea and biscuits.
The boat was then redirected to Gaza and the women were processed and sent to their home countries.
“Perhaps we could have made it 10 miles closer and provoked something that was more mediagenic,” Ms Habib said recently of the incident. “But I am really glad that what we did was safe and dignified.”
Returning to Hobart, Ms Habib then journeyed to Antarctica aboard the Aurora Australis — twice — and crewed the delivery of the L’Astrolabe to Papua New Guinea. “I miss the smell of the sea when I am too long on land,” Ms Habib said.
“I feel like I can shine when I am at sea. There is a sense of space, challenge, mystery and terror.”
Ms Habib’s time aboard the Zaytona-Oliva has strengthened her resolve to use her seafaring expertise to tackle social justice issues.
“The trip to Gaza reinforced my belief that the actions of a few people with limited resources can have a large impact on the collective conscious,” she said.
Ms Habib’s role on the Aquarius puts her at the forefront of the ongoing migrant crisis in the Mediterranean. As Search and Rescue Co-ordinator, she is liaising with authorities and other NGOs in the area to conduct rescues. She said they just rescued 555 people in 36 hours of operations off the Libyan coast. “We are now on our way to pick up 47 more from another NGO vessel before heading to Italy.”
Ms Habib will return to Tasmania for a month in mid-November, before again going to Antarctica aboard the Aurora Australis.
While reunited briefly with her husband in Hobart, Ms Habib looks forward to “eating vegies from the garden and bike riding.
Ever the adventurer, “I’m due for my annual ride up Mt Wellington,” she said.