Filippos and Andonis Lemos have given $150,000 to the Save the Children Search and Rescue ship, Vos Hestia.

SAVE The Children, the UK-based charity, has announced a large donation from two Greek shipowners to its effort to rescue refugees and migrants crossing the Central Mediterranean seeking new lives in Europe. 

Brothers Filippos and Andonis Lemos, of N.S Lemos & Co in London and Enesel in Greece have “personally given” $150,000 to the Save the Children Search and Rescue ship, Vos Hestia, which is currently based out of the Sicilian port of Augusta, the charity said.

The vessel, an anchor handling tug supply vessel in the fleet of Dutch owner Vroon, has already rescued more than 1,350 refugees and migrants, including over 200 children, almost 90\% of whom are thought to have been unaccompanied.

Save the Children said that at least 600 children had died already this year attempting the perilous crossing.

Vos Hestia was refitted under a new ‘Rescue’ classification introduced by RINA Services to equip it for the new role.

This maximized the rescue capacity of the 194 ft, Italian-flagged vessel to accommodate 300 people at a time.

“Filippos and Andonis have been involved since the start of the project, donating their time as well as the generous donation, making them the earliest and biggest supporters of the Save the Children Search and Rescue Programme,” said the charity.

“This programme is saving thousands of lives and we are lucky that organisations such as Save the Children are responding with action,” said the brothers in a statement.

“Our family has a strong connection to the maritime world and it is natural for us to be drawn to this initiative.”

Enesel currently manages a fleet of 14 containerships and four tankers. This year it acquired two ice-class aframax tankers as resales from Saehan Shipbuilding in South Korea for a price of about $43m apiece.

“If we span the course of mankind’s history every single one of us can trace our origins to descendants that at some point were refugees fleeing war, persecution and insufferable hardship,” the Lemos brothers said.

Vos Hestia is acting under the co-ordination of the Italian Coast Guard, which co-ordinates all search-and-rescue operations in the region.

Once those who have been rescued are transferred onto the main vessel, Save the Children’s team aims to meet people’s basic needs by providing food and water, safe spaces for children and medical facilities.

Sayyeda Salam, director of philanthropy at the charity, said: “Without the generosity of supporters like Filippos and Andonis, we would not be part of the operation to help the 20,000 people at risk of drowning over the next 15 months.”

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