I’m Christopher Catrambone, a humanitarian, entrepreneur, and adventurer, based in Ukraine.

My career, marked by global travels and diverse experiences, now channels my business acumen into philanthropic endeavours.

After completing my studies in Criminology in 2005, I lost my home to Hurricane Katrina. I was working on an insurance case in the Virgin Islands at the time, and my friends and I pooled our resources to open a steamboat restaurant.

My work at the time was taking me to some of the world’s most dangerous places, including Iraq and Afghanistan — which isn’t typically what most people think of when they hear the word ‘insurance’.

Founding Tangiers International

In 2006 I founded Tangiers, now a leading global business specializing in insurance, emergency assistance, on-the-ground claims handling and up-to-the-minute information services.

As the business flourished rapidly, I moved to my ancestral home of Reggio di Calabria, Italy. When Tangiers expanded its reach to more than 100 countries, I relocated to Malta.

Birth of a Humanitarian Mission

During a sailing trip, a discarded jacket floating in the sea opened my eyes to the mounting migration crisis unfolding on the Mediterranean.

In October 2013, 368 migrants and refugees drowned off the coast of Lampedusa, Italy. I felt compelled to act and founded the Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS). marking my transition into humanitarian work.

We bought and fitted a 40-metre drone-equipped rescue vessel, the Phoenix, and embarked on our mission to save lives at sea with a team of volunteers and a top-flight staff of medical and rescue workers.

Expanding the Mission

Despite initial criticism, our bold move garnered support from governments and international non-governmental organisations. After the tragic peak of 2015, public donations began to come in, which enabled us to set out with another rescue vessel, the Responder.

All told, our search and rescue program saved over 40,000 lives, and was carried out in parallel with our advocacy and engagement work, pressing governments to ensure safe and legal migration routes.

One of those saved at sea was Noura, who fled her home in war-ravaged Syria, across the Mediterranean, and on overland to reunite with family in Germany. We’ve since stepped back from active search and rescue on the Med, focusing instead on sharing our expertise.

Broader Humanitarian Efforts

Through XChange, we’ve investigated trans-Saharan migration routes, parent-child separation of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, perilous journeys of Venezuelan migrants through Colombia, and the forced migration of persecuted LGBT individuals.

Since then, we’ve helped communities to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic from our satellite clinic in Bangladesh, as well as through direct aid in Somalia, Yemen, Sudan and closer to home, in Malta.

In Bangladesh, we’ve worked to empower the Rohingya refugees, teaching them water-management techniques—a skill that, during the monsoon season, can be the difference between life and death. We’ve extended our life-saving expertise to tackle the drowning and fire problem by teaching people to swim and to respond quickly in case of fire, saving lives.

Disruptive Mission in Ukraine

In March 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine, I stepped in to help the brave people fighting for their freedom and defending Western values. Today, thanks to a team of brave doctors, medics, and nurses, we run medical evacuations for soldiers injured on the frontline. With a fleet of 51 ambulances, every day, our medics treat mostly young men suffering from critical trauma injuries caused by shrapnel, mines, artillery fire, small arms, rocket systems, and other battlefield injuries.
In two years, 45.000 lives have been saved and counting; that’s why any donation is invaluable.

Because of this mission, the Ukraine Defense Ministry recently awarded me a Cross Of Honor for my contribution “to organising and providing comprehensive assistance to the personnel of military units and units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in wartime conditions”. The MOAS book “Sirens of Hope”, which includes direct testimonials from staff members and me, is also dedicated to our mission in Ukraine.

Having seen firsthand the conditions the less fortunate are forced to endure, I see advocacy and action as a moral imperative. I relish tackling challenging problems to help people through impossible situations.

If you’re interested in finding out how we can work together, please get in touch.