After some calm days of taking care of the ship and being finally able to rest, we have received a hint from MRCC informing us of a wooden boat that would have left Tripoli some hours ago. At this time, it is already around 1 pm and the people on this boat must have been…

My secondment to Sea-Watch has now started. I have joined the new crew for the next SAR operation in the Mediterranean. The unfortunate situation in which our borders find themselves is something that all Europeans should be aware of, to be conscious of what is happening at our doorstep, and not only on televisions. It…

London Monday, September 26. Lifejackets have been donated by ActionAid to the International Maritime Rescue Federation to send to the Mediterranean to help adults and children who need rescuing on a daily basis. The 300 lifejackets – 150 for adults and the rest for children – will be sent to Sea-Watch in Malta who are…

As part of the aim to protect the European Union’s southern borders, Operation Sophia was established in May 2015 by the Council Decision (CFSP) 2015/778 with a mandate to help identify and neutralise all vessels that were part of human smuggling and other criminal activities in the central-southern Mediterranean. This has included boarding, search, seizure…

The EU’s Mission is to fight human traffickers who have taken advantage of the current political situation in Libya to smuggle migrants from Africa to Europe, in exchange of large amounts of money. The EUNAVFOR MED mission description states: “The mission core mandate is to undertake systematic efforts to identify, capture and dispose of vessels…

Nonetheless, political agreements change with time, as has been seen last month with the agreement signed between the Commander of Libyan Coast Guard and EUNAVFOR MED to allow for the training of the Libyan Coast Guards and Navy Patrol Boats. This is all well and good, but what if those EU trained Libyan personnel are…

This is the story of Base, a child refugee from Eritrea. We’ve not used his real name, or his photograph, to protect his identity, but he currently has achieved refugee status in England. His story is like many others. It is real, and heartbreaking, and it is a factual account of his incredible journey. This…

While EU citizens are having croissants or a hard-boiled egg for breakfast, going for a walk with their dogs or visiting their relatives, 51 migrants woke up on board of the Sea-Watch 2: For the first time refugees have spent a night on our ship. Due to logistical reasons they will be picked up by…

Sea-Watch demands a #safepassage and claims respect for the civil SAR fleet by all actors, as 10th mission launches. Our vessel Sea-Watch 2 is setting sails today for its 10th mission this year. More than 15 000 people in distress have been helped by the Crews of Sea-Watch so far, however 2016 is the most…

A few weeks ago, MSF search and rescue (SAR) ship, the Bourbon Argos, has been targeted by the Libyan navy. The reasons of the incident seem unclear, but justified by the Libyans as a mistake given that they thought that the ship was smuggling oil. With the current migration crisis, SAR vessels are operating in…

Dramatic scenes have occurred once again in the Mediterranean this week. Migrants desperately seeking to join European soil have been seen jumping off over packed boats looking for any kind of attention of those who still save them from dying at sea. Perilously wanting to join European ground, migrants are jammed onto dinghy boats swimming…