For some weeks now, the Italian Mediterranean island of Lampedusa has once again been in the public eye. Located southwest of Sicily, it is the closest European mainland to both Libya and Tunisia. That’s why a particularly large number of people fleeing arrive here and make their way to Europe. During the summer months, when…
This factsheet outlines a summary of the distress cases witnessed in June 2022 by Sea-Watch’s Airborne Operations with the aircraft Seabird 1 and Seabird 2.(1) In June 2022 we flew in the Maltese Search-and-Rescue (SAR) zone only, conducting 12 operations with a total flight time of 69 hours and 2 minutes. We spotted 29 boats, carrying around 1.190(2) persons in distress. Unfortunately,…
After its first operation and the rescue of 85 people, the British Maritime and Coastguard Agency banned the ship from sailing. The Aurora, certified as a lifeboat in England, belongs to the British non-profit organization Search and Rescue Relief (SARR), which has partnered with Sea-Watch to save lives in the Mediterranean. On May 29 of…
Today, at the meeting of EU interior ministers, a so-called Voluntary Solidarity Mechanism is to be adopted based on the proposal of the French Council Presidency. This mechanism is intended to relocate persons rescued from distress at sea from the EU’s external border countries to other European member states – without the consent of the…
Last night, the 6-person crew of AURORA, together with the sailing vessel NADIR, rescued over 80 people from distress at sea and is waiting for the allocation of a Port of Safety. The AURORA, a former rescue ship of the British Royal National Lifeboat Institution, is the latest addition to the Sea Watch rescue fleet…
