Seabird 1, 2 & 3

Civilian aerial reconnaissance at Europe’s borders

As a civil eye, Sea-Watch’s Airborne department, together with the Swiss Humanitarian Pilots Initiative, monitors, documents, and publishes daily human rights violations as well as the associated roles of European states, the EU Border and Coast Guard Agency Frontex, the so-called Libyan coast guard, and other Libyan militias. If we encounter boats in distress during our flights, we try everything to push for a rescue and subsequent disembarkation in a safe European port by the competent authorities and civil vessels in the vicinity.

News from Airborne

Ain’t no border high enough

Our aircraft

Seabird 1

Since spring 2020, we have been operating the Seabird 1 aerial reconnaissance aircraft, a Beechcraft Baron 58 twin-engine high-performance aircraft. The sea area that we can search during a fligt with the Seabird is almost twice as large as that of its predecessor Moonbird: around 27,000 km2 – roughly the size of Brandenburg. In addition, we can be in the operational area for around 7.5 hours. As the Seabirds are twin-engine aircraft, we can also guarantee significantly more safety for our crew on board.

Seabird 2

In spring 2022, our Moonbird aerial reconnaissance aircraft went into well-deserved retirement. We have therefore decided to send another aircraft – the Seabird 2 – into service. It is also a Beechcraft Baron 58 and can accommodate up to five crew members. The maths is simple: the more people who can fit on board and keep an eye out for distress at sea during flight time, the greater the likelihood of spotting boats in distress.

Seabird 3

The Seabird 3 is our newest reconnaissance aircraft and is deployed in collaboration with the Humanitarian Pilots Initiative (HPI) and United4Rescue. It is active not only in the central Mediterranean, but also on the particularly dangerous Atlantic route between West Africa and the Canary Islands, a route on which more and more people are losing their lives.

The twin-engine propeller aircraft is lightweight and cost-efficient and has a particularly long flight duration capacity. Ideal for reporting maritime emergencies and documenting human rights violations.

Over 200 boats in distress spotted in 2024: The civilian eye over the Mediterranean

In 2024, our crews flew 151 operations and spotted 221 boats in distress with a total of over 10,900 people on board. We documented illegal pushbacks, failure to provide assistance, and the systematic cooperation of European authorities with actors such as the so-called Libyan coast guard.

Want to learn more about our aerial operation in the Mediterranean last year? Here you can find our Airborne annual report.

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