This factsheet presents a summary of distress cases witnessed by Sea-Watch’s Airborne crew from the aircraft Moonbird.* From November 2020 to January 2021, primarily due to bad weather in the Central Mediterranean Sea, we flew only 16 missions with a total flight time of 73 hours and 22 minutes. We spotted around 165 persons in…
„I believe that sealing someone’s fate should not happen at sea when one is in total despair but according to human rights laws and professional insights into someone’s whereabouts. As long as the European Union fails to act according to its responsibility to uphold such rights, it’s important to support other actors.“ We asked our…
“I did not think a lot about refugees at Europe’s borders until I saw the situation with my own eyes. I wish more people would be able to have a closer look at what happens in the Mediterranean.” We asked our airborne crew 3 questions. After 32 years as a commercial pilot, Ditmar wanted to use…
“On behalf of the EU, which ironically proclaims itself to be one community of freedom, dignity, and human rights, the so-called Libyan coast guard drags people on the move back to a war zone.” We asked our airborne crew 3 questions. Vera joins the Airborne team as a spotter and is a fundraiser and association member…
Merchant Vessel Involvement in Sea Rescue Operations Overview of relevant cases spotted by Airborne Operations in 2020 Due to the seizure of NGO vessels and the lack of a state-led European Search-and-Rescue (SAR) programme, operations which retrieve people from distress at sea currently rely primarily on the shipping industry. Captains and crews of merchant vessels…
