Following the rescue of 6 people in international waters, Italian authorities have detained the civilian rescue vessel Sea-Watch 5 for 45 days under the Piantedosi Law. Additionally, the organization has been fined €7,500 euros. Despite being in radio contact with the so-called Libyan coastguard, the Italian authorities accuse Sea-Watch of failing to inform the Libyan authorities about the rescue operation. After carrying out the rescue, the crew had been threatened by armed men on board a second vessel. During the four-day journey to the assigned port of Naples, they also had to document eight bodies — an incident that adds to the dramatically rising death toll in the Central Mediterranean.
Giulia Messmer, spokesperson for the organization Sea-Watch, comments: While people drown seeking safety, Italy criminalizes rescue crews for doing their job. This is not migration policy — it is active obstruction of emergency assistance.
On Thursday, August 13, the Sea-Watch 5 crew spotted 6 people in a life-threatening situation in the water. They had shortly beforehand been forced overboard from a boat driven by unidentified actors. After the immediately initiated rescue operation had been completed and all 6 people were safely on board the Sea-Watch 5, another unidentified Libyan vessel approached the Sea-Watch 5 from the port side. The people on board threatened the rescue crew with a firearm.
Following the acute incident, the unidentified Libyan vessel pursued the Sea-Watch 5 for some time. Shortly before 10 p.m., all relevant authorities were informed about the rescue, and the maritime security incident was reported to the MRCC Bremen and the German Federal Foreign Office. In addition, the so-called Libyan coastguard communicated with the Sea-Watch 5 via radio regarding the rescue operation and received all relevant information.
During the four-day journey to Naples, the crew had to carry out documentation procedures on 8 bodies that were found. Previously, the civilian observation aircraft Albatross UNO operated by SOS Méditerranée had spotted 11 bodies in the area. Three additional bodies were found on August 15 by Sea-Watch’s monitoring aircraft Seabird 1, as well as 6 additional bodies by SOS Méditerranée on August 17. On August 18, all survivors rescued by the Sea-Watch 5 disembarked in Naples.
In 2026, more than 1,600 people have died or remain missing while attempting to cross the Mediterranean in search of safety. Since August 4 alone, more than 55 bodies have been found. Since the beginning of 2023, the ultra-right-wing Italian government has detained rescue ships 44 times for a total of over 960 days. The blockade of the Sea-Watch 5 is the eighth such incident in 2026; so far this year, civilian ships have been prevented from carrying out their work for more than 180 days.
