After rescuing 93 people in distress in international waters on 15 March and the medical evacuation of nine survivors to Italy — including a two-year-old child in life-threatening condition — the rescue ship Sea-Watch 5 is currently sheltering off the coast of Sicily with 84 survivors on board. Severe weather conditions in the Strait of Sicily, including waves of up to three metres, make it unsafe for the vessel to continue towards the assigned port of Marina di Carrara in northern Italy. The designated port lies more than 1,100 kilometres from the rescue site and would require a journey of several days. Shortly after 1:00pm today the Juvenile Court in Palermo, Sicily, ruled all 23 minors and their families to be disembarked in the nearest possible Italian port. Despite the deteriorating conditions, the vulnerability of those on board and the court’s decision, the Italian authorities have maintained the distant port assignment and have not indicated a nearer port of safety.
The remaining 84 survivors aboard the rescue ship are suffering from severe fuel burns, exhaustion and seasickness after their dangerous journey across the Mediterranean sea and 2 days aboard the civil rescue ship. Sea-Watch calls on the Italian government to comply with international law and assign the ship to the nearest port of safety to disembark all survivors. Continuing to require the vessel to proceed to a far northern port under these circumstances unnecessarily prolongs suffering and exposes people to further risk.The German federal government must urgently advocate for the German flagged rescue vessel and the protection of all those aboard.
Chiara Milanese, SW5 Head of Mission, comments:
“Italian authorities are deliberately obstructing this rescue. They are fully aware of the medical condition of the people on board and the weather we are facing, yet they still force us to stay at sea. Giorgia Meloni’s government is actively endangering the life of all rescued people on our ship.”
The beginning of 2026 has been the deadliest in more than a decade. So far, more than 680 people have been reported dead or missing. The number of unreported deaths is estimated to be significantly higher. The rapid deterioration of weather conditions over the past few days is currently endangering the lives of people aboard several boats reported by the organization Alarm Phone. Just a few days ago, a child disappeared at sea, and a 21-year-old man was recovered from a boat in distress only after he had died.
