The sea rescue organisations Sea-Eye and Sea-Watch have launched a joint rescue operation in the central Mediterranean. With the rescue ship SEA-EYE 4, a crew of 28 members of both organisations is on its way to one of the deadliest borders in the world. One week before the German parliamentary elections, the two German organisations call on all parties to create safe and legal passages.

The cooperation between Sea-Eye and Sea-Watch is a response to the ongoing deaths in the Mediterranean. Despite political resistance in Germany, the organisations remain true to their mission: to save lives and to draw attention to the systematic omission of state rescue operations. The joint mission is not only a reaction to the acute dying, but also a sign of solidarity. European civil society cannot stand by and watch people drown. 

“The collaboration between Sea-Eye and Sea-Watch is a strong signal of cohesion and solidarity. In times of exclusion, hatred and agitation, we are fighting together for every human life on one of the deadliest escape routes in the world. We are showing that humanitarian aid knows no borders,” explains Gorden Isler, chairman of Sea-Eye.

Sea-Watch also emphasises  that the cooperation is a necessary step: “Every cooperation strengthens our commitment to save people from drowning. One week before the German parliamentary elections, we demand safe and legal passages for all. Politicians who only shout for fences do not change anything about the dying in the Mediterranean,” says Giulia Messmer, spokesperson for Sea-Watch.

The SEA-EYE 4 is a ship specially converted for rescue operations that has already saved over 3,800 people from drowning. The current operation will bring those seeking protection safely to land and provide initial medical care. The crew consists of experienced sea rescuers, doctors and technical specialists.

The operation is supported by the broad alliance United4Rescue and the initiative LeaveNoOneBehind. 

Despite international obligations to rescue people at sea, civil sea rescue is increasingly being obstructed by European states. Over 2,300 people have drowned in the Mediterranean in 2024 alone. The organisations call on the European Union and its member states to end their blockade and create legal and safe passages.

One and a half year has passed since the state crime near Pylos was committed, which led to the death of more than 600 people migrating to Europe. Despite the irrefutable evidence and testimonies of shipwreck survivors, those responsible for this crime have not yet been brought before the judicial authorities. In fact, the perpetrators continue to carry out their duties with impunity, not only posing a constant threat to people on the move but also exemplifying the immunity they receive.

The Pylos state crime was not an isolated incident, nor was it the last. The shipwreck was the result of the intensifying systemic violence against people crossing into Greece and the EU. Their increasing dehumanisation has led to a horrifying situation. The EU’s policies of securitisation and militarisation of its borders and territories confront people on the move with even greater violence and constant violations of their rights. Pushback operations, arbitrary and prolonged imprisonment in detention centres in European border countries, and cooperation with authoritarian regimes in neighbouring countries have led to an unprecedented number of dead and missing persons.

A year and a half ago, on 14 June 2023, while the fishing trawler Adriana, with 750 people on board was reportedly in danger, the Greek authorities deliberately delayed any rescue operation: at first the authorities ignored distress calls, only monitoring the trawler; subsequently,  authorities attempted to tow the Adriana away from the Greek Search and Rescue zone, causing its capsizing. In this cynical and ultimately deadly attempt, authorities tried to remove any possible eyewitnesses, not only by refusing the assistance offered by EU’s agency Frontex but also by turning away commercial vessels alongside. After the sinking of the Adriana, survivors reported unjustified delays in their rescue, with the result that only 104 people were saved. Instead of supporting them, the Greek authorities went as far as to charge the survivors with ‘illegal entry’ into the country. In an effort to deflect public outcry and international condemnation, authorities disavowed responsibility for the killing of more than 600 people, and charged 9 of the survivors, blaming them as “smugglers” and for causing the shipwreck. The 9 defendants-survivors of the shipwreck were eventually acquitted by the Greek courts in May 2024 but were denied their right to compensation for nearly a year’s time unjustly spent in prison.

Following the refusal of the Hellenic Coast Guard to initiate an internal disciplinary investigation into the acts of its line of command and officers, the Greek Ombudsman did so at its own motion for administrative acts and omissions. Following criminal complaints by the survivors, investigations into the causes of the state crime have been conducted for over a year by the preliminary investigation authorities of the Piraeus Naval Court in relation to criminal responsibilities. The preliminary investigation was only completed at the end of November, and it is now at the discretion of the Head of the Naval Court Prosecutor’s Office whether to file charges against those responsible.

Extensive and in-depth investigations by independent and international investigative media outlets have not only highlighted the criminal actions of the competent Greek authorities in managing the Adriana incident, but also the concerted effort to cover up the events and protect those responsible.

In addition, the treatment of most of the shipwreck survivors violates the Greek state’s responsibility under international law, including the responsibility to provide shipwreck survivors with psychosocial support. Not only were most of the survivors denied international protection; they are now also threatened with deportation. At the same time, many of the victims’ families are still waiting for the bodies of their loved ones, which have not yet been repatriated.

Demanding justice for the state crime of Pylos is the least we owe to the memory of the victims of the shipwreck and their loved ones, as well as to those who survived the wreckage and have suffered unspeakable trauma. But it is also a crucial point in the struggle for the protection of migrant populations and their rights. At a time when European governments promote discrimination, racism, and exploitation, we join our voices in demanding a world of justice and solidarity.

The state crime of Pylos will neither be forgotten nor forgiven.

The signatory organisations demand:

• The thorough investigation of the causes of the ‘Pylos shipwreck’ and the prosecution of those truly responsible.
• The provision of needed psychosocial support and the granting of international protection to all survivors.
• An immediate end to the criminalisation of migration and the use of “facilitation” as a pretext for the systematic incarceration of people on the move. 
• An immediate end to increasingly lethal border violence.

Read the statement with all signatory organisations

Sea-Eye calls for immediate actions in the Mediterranean – More than 1,500 children have drowned in the Mediterranean since 2018.

20th November 2024 marks the 35th anniversary of the adoption of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. But the agreement, which aims to ensure the protection and rights of children worldwide, stands in stark contrast to the reality at Europe’s borders: according to UNICEF, more than 1,500 children have drowned on the world’s deadliest escape route since 2018 – in 2023 alone, around 300 children lost their lives in the Mediterranean in search of protection.

“It is unacceptable that children continue to lose their lives in the Mediterranean when all EU Member States have committed to protecting the lives and rights of every child by signing the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. This commitment must not remain an empty declaration. We must act to end the deaths at Europe’s borders and protect children on the move,” says Gorden Isler, Chairman of Sea-Eye e.V.

According to the German Children’s Fund (Deutsches Kinderhilfswerk), the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child is considered the most important human rights instrument for children and is the convention that has been signed by the most countries to date. It was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 20th November 1989 and entered into force on 2nd September 1990. It has been in force in Germany since 1992.

According to the United Nations Refugee Agency, more than 117 million people were displaced worldwide by the end of 2023. About 40 percent of them are minors. Sea-Eye has saved more than 18,000 people from drowning since 2016 – many of them children and young people. As part of a campaign to mark the 35th anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the organisation is raising awareness of the plight of refugee children.

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Italian coast guard evacuated emergency medical patient

At noon on Thursday, November 7, 2024, the all-weather lifeboat SEA-EYE 5 brought a total of 78 survivors from two separate distress cases at sea that had occurred off Lampedusa to safety in Pozzallo, Sicily.

Sea-Eye’s head of mission had previously tried to be granted permission to use a nearby port from Tuesday onwards, whereupon the Italian coastguard assigned Ortona, although it already knew from a distress case last week that the Sea-Eye all-weather lifeboat would not be able to cover such a long distance for technical reasons. In addition, it is not reasonable for the survivors to remain on the SEA-EYE 5 for more than 24 hours for humanitarian reasons. It was only on Wednesday evening that the Italian coastguard finally named Pozzallo as the port of disembarkation.

“It is simply impressive to see this former DGzRS ship in action in the Mediterranean. The ship and crew have done an outstanding job over the past two weeks, saving a total of 175 lives. The former NIS RANDERS will save many more lives,” says Gorden Isler, Chairman of Sea-Eye e.V.

“In addition to various minor injuries, one patient with a serious chronic medical condition had to be treated on board. Another patient was suffering from a rapidly developing wound infection. He eventually became so unwell that the Italian coastguard had to evacuate him. After I had spent some time with the refugees and built up trust, they told me about the violence, torture and inhumane living conditions they had experienced in Libya,” said Tamsin Drew, a doctor from German Doctors, describing the medical situation.

The crew of the SEA-EYE 5 rescued 110 people off Lampedusa in three operations on Tuesday and Wednesday. 31 people from the third rescue operation were taken over by the Italian coastguard off Lampedusa on Wednesday. In addition, another person was evacuated from the ship by the Italian coastguard for medical reasons. There have been several distress cases off the Mediterranean island since Tuesday morning.

On the 10th anniversary of the end of the Italian maritime operation Mare Nostrum, Sea-Eye e.V. calls for a state rescue operation in the Mediterranean.

“Since the end of Mare Nostrum, more than 27,000 people have died or gone missing in the Mediterranean. For the EU, these deaths are part of a brutal calculus of deterrence. After all, no one can credibly claim to be unaware of the suffering and the many deaths on the EU’s external borders. And yet politicians allow it to happen – day after day. It is important to realise that if these people had arrived safely in Europe and been welcomed with open arms, no one in Europe would be worse off today. Europe would be a fairer place if these people were still alive. The EU must finally take responsibility for the humanitarian disaster in the Mediterranean and find human rights-based solutions. That is why we are calling for a state rescue operation to save as many lives as possible and fill the gap left by the cancellation of Operation Mare Nostrum. As long as this does not happen, there will be organisations like Sea-Eye, who represent the part of the European population that stands up together for the people who will otherwise continue to be left defenceless at sea to die by the EU,” explains Gorden Isler, Chairman of Sea-Eye e.V.

The Italian Navy launched Operation Mare Nostrum on October 18th 2013, following two shipwrecks off Lampedusa that claimed more than 600 lives. In just under a year, it saved the lives of more than 150,000 people in the Mediterranean. Mare Nostrum ended on October 31^st 2014 at the insistence of the EU. The European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) then launched Operation Triton. However, the focus of this operation was not on rescuing people in need of protection, but on securing borders – which is why there has been no state-organised sea rescue in the central Mediterranean for over a decade. Instead, private and donor-funded organisations such as Sea-Eye e.V. have stepped up to the plate. Despite their tireless efforts, the humanitarian crisis in the Mediterranean, which claims thousands of lives every year, remains unresolved.