Background to the Phenomenon and Its Impact on Civil Search and Rescue Since early 2024, civil rescue vessels (as well as merchant ships) in the central Mediterranean have increasingly encountered boats carrying people on the move that display certain distinctive features and pose additional challenges for crews. These boats are generally in comparatively better condition…
Berlin, 7 July 2026 – On 3 July, the Sea-Watch 5 departed for a rescue mission in the central Mediterranean for the first time since it was fired upon in May. At the same time, Sea-Watch filed an urgent application with the Berlin Administrative Court seeking to oblige the German government to take effective measures…
The notorious former Libyan prison director Osama Najim, known as Almasri, was sentenced on 21 June 2026 by the Criminal Court in Tripoli, Libya, to seven years and four months in prison for “violating the rights of prisoners”. Italy’s right wing is celebrating the verdict, claiming that justice has run its course and that the…
13 May – In response to the attack on the Sea-Watch 5 on Monday, 11 May 2026, the European Commission stated at its press conference on Wednesday, 12 May 2026, that EU cooperation with Libyan actors “prevented further violence.” Sea-Watch condemns this portrayal as a grotesque distortion of reality. Without the political, financial, and operational…
On 11 May 2026, an armed patrol boat operated by the so-called Libyan coastguard opened fire on the civilian rescue vessel Sea-Watch 5 in international waters and threatened to board the ship and abduct those on board to Libya. The attack took place approximately 55 nautical miles north of Tripoli, in international waters. Shortly beforehand,…
