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…
After the search and rescue organisation SOS Méditerranée discovered 11 bodies in international waters in the Mediterranean on Friday, 14 August, Sea-Watch’s monitoring aircraft Seabird 1 and the rescue organization RESQSHIP found three more bodies over the weekend. The crew spotted the corpses on Saturday, 15 August. Following the discoveries, the rescue vessels Sea-Watch 5 and Nadir sailed to the bodies…
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…
Saturday, 16 May – Italy has opened a criminal investigation against the captain of the Sea-Watch 5 with the accusation of “aiding and abetting unauthorized immigration”. The Sea-Watch 5 had entered the port of Brindisi on Friday morning at around 11 a.m. with 166 rescued people on board. The investigation represents an absurd escalation: Days…
