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Seven years at sea. No land in sight. Quo vadis, Sea-Watch?

Seven years at sea. No land in sight. Quo vadisLateinisch: “Where are we going”, Sea‑Watch? When we set out on our first rescue mission in the central Mediterranean in June 2015, no one would have guessed what kind of odyssey we would face. From political blockades in Germany, Italy, Malta and the Netherlands, to numerous…

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Sea-Watch 3 blocked – Italy ignores ECJ ruling

After rescuing 428 persons from distress at sea, the Sea-Watch 3 was blocked by Italian authorities on Wednesday evening, 21. September 2022, in Reggio Calabria. However, only at the beginning of August 2022 the European Court of Justice (ECJ) declared arbitrary port state controls (PSC) unlawful. By ignoring the ECJ ruling, the Italian authorities focus…

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Airborne Monthly Factsheet July 2022

This factsheet presents a summary of the distress cases witnessed in July 2022 by Sea-Watch’s Airborne Operations with the aircraft Seabird 1.(1) In July 2022 we flew in the Maltese Search-and-Rescue (SAR) zone only, conducting 17 operations over a total flight time of 88 hours and 50 minutes. We spotted 42 boats, carrying around 1,698 persons in distress.…

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SOS MEDITERRANEE, MSF and SEA-WATCH alert on the critical risk of more deaths in the central Mediterranean this summer in the absence of European state led search and rescue operations

Central Mediterranean, Wednesday 3rd August 2022 In this summer season, SOS MEDITERRANEE, MSF and SEA-WATCH urgently call for the provision of European state-led search and rescue maritime assets in the central Mediterranean to prevent more deaths. Within five days, Geo Barents, a search and rescue ship operated by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), and Ocean Viking…

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