The ships are on the Libyan coast. They are in radio contact with the smugglers. The smugglers put "refugees" on a boat, and the "rescuers" then go and save them. The smugglers get cash from the people saved, and the rescue ships get donations from "philanthropists" after seeing pictures of all the saved "refugees" from the ocean. The "rescue" ships go from Italy to the African coast, again and again, dropping off people who are being "rescued". They are not, it is literally a shuttle African to Europe.