Yesterday, Sunday, the crew of the surveillance aircraft Colibri witnessed once again a dramatic case of failure to render assistance by the Italian authorities. A rubber boat with over 80 refugees was in distress at sea for over 9 hours and was finally towed back to war-torn Libya by the country’s so-called Coast Guard. At…
Dear Mr Prime Minister, with the present letter, Sea-Watch holds the Maltese government responsible for deliberately and arbitrarily detaining the ship Sea-Watch 3 for over two months, without legal justification and rather on a merely political basis. This is a conscious attempt to hinder the rescue of people in distress on the Central Mediterranean. We…
New armed clashes in Tripoli tighten the situation in Libya. Maltese prime minister Joseph Muscat claims “apprehension”, yet continues blocking rescue ships in Maltese Harbours and thereby obstructs the last escape route for the local population and refugees, caught in the crossfire. Sea-Watch files legal protest against Maltese grounding of the reconnaissance aircraft Moonbird. Already…
While the Aquarius, operated by SOS Mediterranee and MSF, was able to leave the port of Valletta yesterday after a successful disembarkation of rescued people, the rescue ship Sea-Watch 3 has been prevented from sailing for 51 days, despite the fact that all conditions of the flag state are fulfilled and the necessary registrations are…
On 30 July, the Asso Ventotto, an Italian merchant vessel, brought 108 people to Libya after rescuing them in international waters. This has not only breached international law but, above all, endangered the lives of the rescued, because Libya is not a safe place. Italy had already been convicted in a similar case in 2012,…
