Sea-Watch
Established | 19 May 2015 (9 years ago) |
---|---|
Founders | Harald Höppner |
Legal status | registered association |
Headquarters | Berlin |
Membership | 57 (2022) |
Revenue | 12,072,829.2 Euro (2021) |
Sea-Watch is a German non-governmental organisation that operates in the Mediterranean Sea, notably by commissioning ships to rescue migrants.
History
[edit]On 6 November 2017, the crew of a Sea-Watch ship rescued 58 people in an operation hindered by the Libyan Navy. Twenty other people drowned.[1][2][3] Video footage that implicated the Libyan Coast Guard was later used in legal action against Italy in the European Court of Human Rights.[4]
2018
[edit]The ship Sea-Watch resumed her operations in November 2018[5][6][7] after it was detained in Malta between July and October.[8]
On 22 December 2018, another of the organisation's ships, Sea-Watch 3, rescued around 32 people,[9] but was unable to dock in Malta, Italy, or Spain.[10][11]
2019
[edit]On 3 January 2019, France, Germany and the Netherlands offered to take some of the 49 migrants blocked off Malta on Sea-Watch and Sea-Eye "as a collective allocation effort".[11][8] According to Mina Andreeva, the spokeswoman of the European Commission, more solidarity is needed along with "foreseeable and sustainable solutions for the landing and re-localization in the Mediterranean"; she quoted the commissioner in charge of migration, Dimitris Avramopoulos.[12]
Two weeks after the rescue, the 49 migrants were still blocked off Malta on Sea-Watch 3 and the Sea-Eye ,[13] in spite of an appeal by Pope Francis.[14] On 9 January, they were finally allowed to disembark in Malta[15] after an agreement to relocate them to eight other European countries was reached.[16][17] On 19 January, Sea-Watch 3 rescued 47 further migrants. The Italian government forbade her from entering the port, and initiated legal action against the Netherlands;[18] the organisation referred the case to the European Court of Human Rights.[19] On 29 January, Italy, Germany, France, Malta, Portugal, Romania, and Luxembourg agreed to relocate the 47 migrants.[20] Deputy Prime Minister of Italy Matteo Salvini demanded that Sea-Watch 3 be detained.[20] As the ship was docked at the Italian city Catania to land the migrants, she was blocked by the Italian military on the grounds of "several non-conformities"; the organisation called the obstruction political pressure.[21]
On 19 May 2019, the Italian police seized Sea-Watch 3 at the island Lampedusa, allowing the disembarking of the 47 migrants whom she had recently picked up on 15 May 2019.[22][23] Reports of the operations angered Matteo Salvini, who opposed the landing of the migrants.[23][24] In June 2019, the ship was again detained; 53 migrants had been rescued from the coast of Libya on 12 June.[25] Italy allowed only 11 especially vulnerable people to disembark; on 25 June 2019, the captain of Sea-Watch 3 threatened to land at Lampedusa in spite of the interdiction,[26] eventually entering Italian territorial waters. According to the organisation, it was "not as a provocative act, but out of necessity and responsibility".[27][28][29] A column in French newspaper Le Monde stated that Captain Carola Rackete was only "reminding us all of the existence of international conventions such as that stating rescue at sea is a duty for all".[30] In an editorial in the same newspaper, 700 celebrities supported the migrants and opposed Salvini.[31] A poll by Italian daily Il Giornale showed that 61% of Italians were opposed to Sea-Watch 3 landing at Lampedusa.[32] During the night of 28 to 29 June, the ship was seized, and Carola Rackete was arrested for helping illegal immigration.[33] Sea-Watch 3 later collided with the 50-knot Class 800 patrol boat[34] "808" of Italian law enforcement agency Guardia di Finanza, which had tried to block the larger vessel from docking. The boat[clarification needed] was pushed against the dock and slightly damaged.[35] Since the Guardia di Finanza was legally considered a combatant while it protected waterways, the Italian media reported that Rackete could also be charged with attack on a warship, a crime punishable with 3 to 10 years in prison.[36] Two days later, an Italian judge decided that no further incarceration was necessary, and Rackete was released. As of July 2019[update], the criminal investigation continues.[37]
Cooperation with Protestant Church
[edit]The sea rescue ship Sea-Watch 4 (with the suffix "powered by United4Rescue"), financed by the Protestant Church in Germany (EKD), was deployed under the direction of Sea-Watch in 2020.[38] For this purpose, the sponsoring association, Rescue Together (Gemeinsam Retten), was set up, with Thies Gundlach from the EKD as the first chairman and Michael Schwickart from Sea-Watch as the second chairman.
Ships
[edit]Sea-Watch is a former 21.12-meter (69 ft 3 in) fishing ship. Built in 1917[39] and purchased in 2015, Sea-Watch used her in 2015 until she was transferred later that year to the organisation Mare Liberum, receiving the name Mare Liberum.
Sea-Watch 2 is a former fishing research ship, originally entering service as Clupea in 1968. She was deployed on 14-day rescue operations between Libya and Malta in 2016 and 2017 along with Sea-Watch. Sold to the organisation Mission Lifeline, she now operates under the name Lifeline.[40]
Sea-Watch 3 is a 50.53-meter (165 ft 9 in) ship. Built in 1972 as an offshore supply ship, the organisation Médecins Sans Frontières commissioned it as a search and rescue vessel under the name Dignity I before transfer to Sea-Watch.[41]
Sea-Watch 4 is a 60.70-meter (199 ft 2 in) ship. Built in 1976 as a research ship, the Evangelical Church in Germany formed an association to buy the ship in early 2020. The ship is run by a cooperation between Sea-Watch and Médecins Sans Frontières and operated as a German-flagged rescue vessel in the Mediterranean Sea since August 2020.[42]
The Sea-Watch 5 is a 58-meter (190 ft 3 in) ship.[43] It started its work with Sea-Watch in December 2023.[44] The ship rescued 49 migrants off Malta on 22 November 2024.[45]
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MS Sea-Watch, a 100-year old former fishing cutter, on her first mission
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MS Sea-Watch surrounded by refugee boats and life rafts while it waits for assistance on 5 July 2015
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Sea-Watch 2 crowded with survivors who cover themselves in rescue blankets on 19 March 2017
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Sea-Watch 3 patrolling the central Mediterranean search and rescue area on 19 December 2018, two days before the rescue of 32 people. The incident led to an 18-day standoff in front of Malta.
Reconnaissance aircraft
[edit]Since 2017, Sea-Watch have operated a SAR-coordinating reconnaissance aircraft, Moonbird, a single-engined Cirrus SR22, and since June 2020, also the Seabird, a twin-engined high-performance Beechcraft Baron 58.[46] These are flown in cooperation with the Swiss NGO Humanitarian Pilots Initiative.[47]
See also
[edit]- 2013 Lampedusa migrant shipwreck
- Operation Mare Nostrum
- Pia Klemp
- Hellenic Rescue Team
- Iuventa
- Mediterranea Saving Humans
- Migrant Offshore Aid Station
- No Border network
- Proactiva Open Arms
- SOS Méditerranée
References
[edit]- ^ "Des chercheurs retracent le "sauvetage" désastreux de 150 migrants en Méditerranée" [Researchers trace disastrous 'rescue' of 150 migrants in Mediterranean]. Le Monde.fr. 2019-01-03. ISSN 1950-6244. Archived from the original on 2019-01-03. Retrieved 2019-01-03.
- ^ Heller, Charles; Pezzani, Lorenzo; Mann, Itamar; Moreno-Lax, Violeta (2018-12-26). "'It's an Act of Murder': How Europe Outsources Suffering as Migrants Drown (Opinion)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-01-03.
- ^ "Enquête. Comment l'Europe et la Libye laissent mourir les migrants en mer" [Investigation: How Europe and Libya are letting migrants die at sea]. Courrier international (in French). 2019-01-02. Archived from the original on 2019-01-04. Retrieved 2019-01-03.
- ^ "Une vidéo du "New York Times" montre comment l'Europe laisse les migrants mourir en mer" [New York Times video shows how Europe is letting migrants die at sea]. Libération. 2019-01-04. Archived from the original on 2019-06-30. Retrieved 2019-06-29.
- ^ "Trois ONG lancent une opération de sauvetage au large de la Libye" [Three NGOs launch rescue operation off Libya]. Le Monde.fr (in French). 2018-11-23. Archived from the original on 2018-12-21. Retrieved 2018-12-23.
- ^ ""Aquarius" : "La non-assistance à personnes en danger est revenue en force en Méditerranée"" ["Aquarius": "Failure to assist people in danger has returned in force in the Mediterranean"]. Le Monde.fr (in French). 2018-12-07. Archived from the original on 2018-12-23. Retrieved 2018-12-23.
- ^ "Migrants : "Il existe une politique de criminalisation des sauvetages en mer"" [Migrants: "There is a policy of criminalizing sea rescues"]. Le Monde.fr (in French). 2018-11-24. Archived from the original on 2018-12-18. Retrieved 2018-12-23.
- ^ a b "Les ONG de sauvetage de migrants sont de retour en Méditerranée" [Migrant rescue NGOs are back in the Mediterranean]. Le Monde. 2019-01-04. Archived from the original on 2019-01-04. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
- ^ "Christmas at sea: 344 people rescued within 24 hours – no safe port for the rescued people on Sea-Watch 3 • Sea-Watch e.V." Sea-Watch e.V. 2018-12-23. Archived from the original on 2019-07-05. Retrieved 2019-07-05.
- ^ "Migrants en Méditerranée : l'appel de la ligue des droits de l'homme Corse" [Migrants in the Mediterranean: the appeal of the Corsican Human Rights League]. France Bleu (in French). 2019-01-02. Archived from the original on 2019-01-02. Retrieved 2019-01-02.
- ^ a b "La France prête à accueillir des migrants bloqués au large de Malte" [France ready to welcome migrants stranded off Malta]. Le Monde.fr (in French). 2019-01-03. Archived from the original on 2019-01-03. Retrieved 2019-01-03.
- ^ "49 migrants dans l'attente de la bonne volonté européenne" [49 migrants awaiting European goodwill]. Bruxelles2.eu. 2019-01-05. Archived from the original on 2019-06-24. Retrieved 2019-06-29.
- ^ "Migrants : les navires Sea-Watch et Sea-Eye toujours bloqués en mer" [Migrants: Sea-Watch and Sea-Eye ships still stuck at sea]. TV5MONDE (in French). 2019-01-06. Archived from the original on 2019-01-06. Retrieved 2019-01-07.
- ^ "Migrants bloqués au large de Malte : le pape lance un appel à la solidarité européenne" [Migrants stranded off Malta: Pope calls for European solidarity]. Le Monde. 2019-01-07. Archived from the original on 2019-05-31. Retrieved 2019-06-29.
- ^ "EU hostages finally set free after 19 days aboard Sea-Watch 3 • Sea-Watch e.V." Sea-Watch e.V. 2019-01-09. Archived from the original on 2019-07-05. Retrieved 2019-07-05.
- ^ "Les cris de joie des réfugiés du Sea-Watch en apprenant qu'ils ont enfin le droit d'accoster à Malte" [The cheers of the Sea-Watch refugees as they learn that they are finally allowed to land in Malta]. Le Huffington Post (in French). 2019-01-10. Archived from the original on 2019-01-10. Retrieved 2019-01-11.
- ^ "Scènes de joie à bord du Sea Watch avant le débarquement à Malte" [Scenes of joy on board the Sea Watch before disembarkation in Malta]. www.voaafrique.com (in French). 2019-01-09. Archived from the original on 2021-02-08. Retrieved 2021-02-08.
- ^ "Italy vows to sue NGO over migrant rescue boat". www.aljazeera.com. Archived from the original on 2019-01-27. Retrieved 2019-01-28.
- ^ "Migrants : l'ONG Sea-Watch saisit la CEDH contre l'Italie" [Migrants: NGO Sea-Watch takes Italy to ECHR]. Le Monde (in French). 2019-01-29. Archived from the original on 2019-01-29. Retrieved 2019-01-29.
- ^ a b "L'Italie parvient à un accord sur les 47 migrants du "Sea-Watch"" [Italy reaches agreement on 47 migrants from "Sea-Watch"]. Le Monde (in French). 2019-01-31. Archived from the original on 2019-01-31. Retrieved 2019-01-31.
- ^ "Le navire "Sea-Watch" bloqué en Sicile par les gardes-côtes italiens" [The "Sea-Watch" ship blocked in Sicily by the Italian coastguard]. Le Monde (in French). 2019-02-01. Archived from the original on 2019-02-01. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
- ^ "Après la saisie d'un bateau de Sea Watch, des migrants débarquent à Lampedusa, malgré l'interdiction de Matteo Salvini" [After the seizure of a Sea Watch boat, migrants disembark in Lampedusa, despite Matteo Salvini's ban]. Franceinfo (in French). 2019-05-20. Archived from the original on 2021-02-08. Retrieved 2019-05-20.
- ^ a b "Matteo Salvini couronné "prince" des extrêmes-droites européennes voit son autorité bafouée en Italie" [Matteo Salvini crowned "prince" of the European far right sees his authority flouted in Italy] (audio). France Culture (in French). 2019-05-20. Archived from the original on 2019-05-20. Retrieved 2019-05-20.
- ^ "Le ministre de l'intérieur italien Salvini furieux de voir des migrants arriver à Lampedusa" [Italian Interior Minister Salvini furious at migrants arriving in Lampedusa]. Le Monde (in French). 2019-05-20. Archived from the original on 2019-05-20. Retrieved 2019-05-20.
- ^ "Réunis à Malte, les pays d'Europe du Sud, dont la France, restent en désaccord sur l'accueil des migrants" [Meeting in Malta, the countries of Southern Europe, including France, remain in disagreement over the reception of migrants]. Le Monde (in French). 2019-06-15. Archived from the original on 2019-06-15. Retrieved 2019-06-15.
- ^ "La tension monte autour du "Sea-Watch", bloqué en mer avec 42 migrants" [Tensions are rising around the "Sea-Watch", stuck at sea with 42 migrants]. Le Monde (in French). 2019-06-25. Archived from the original on 2019-06-25. Retrieved 2019-06-25.
- ^ "Treize jours après avoir secouru plus de 50 migrants, le "Sea-Watch 3" force le blocus des eaux italiennes" [Thirteen days after rescuing more than 50 migrants, the "Sea-Watch 3" forces the blockade of Italian waters]. Le Monde (in French). 2019-06-26. Archived from the original on 2019-06-26. Retrieved 2019-06-26.
- ^ "Sea-Watch 3, l'honneur de désobéir" [Sea-Watch 3, the honor of disobeying]. France Culture (in French). 2019-06-27. Archived from the original on 2019-06-27. Retrieved 2019-06-27.
- ^ Sall, Rouguyata (2019-06-28). "Le "Sea-Watch 3" toujours bloqué au large de Lampedusa après avoir forcé le blocus italien" [The "Sea-Watch 3" still stuck off Lampedusa after breaking the Italian blockade]. Mediapart (in French). Archived from the original on 2021-02-08. Retrieved 2019-06-28.
- ^ "Migrants : les leçons à l'Europe de la capitaine du "Sea-Watch 3"" [Migrants: lessons for Europe from the captain of the "Sea-Watch 3"]. Le Monde (in French). 2019-06-27. Archived from the original on 2019-06-27. Retrieved 2019-06-27.
- ^ ""Sea-Watch 3": "C'est maintenant qu'il faut inverser la destruction du droit et de l'humanité"" ["Sea-Watch 3": "Now is the time to reverse the destruction of law and humanity"]. Le Monde (in French). 2019-06-27. Archived from the original on 2019-06-27. Retrieved 2019-06-27.
- ^ "Sea Watch a Lampedusa: ma il 61% degli italiani non vuole che attracchi" [Sea Watch in Lampedusa: but 61% of Italians don't want it to dock]. ilgiornale.it (in Italian). 2019-06-27. Archived 2019-06-30 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Migrants en Méditerranée: le "Sea-Watch 3" accoste à Lampedusa malgré le refus du gouvernement, sa capitaine arrêtée" [Migrants in the Mediterranean: the "Sea-Watch 3" docks in Lampedusa despite the government's refusal, its captain arrested]. Le Monde (in French). 2019-06-29. Archived from the original on 2019-06-29. Retrieved 2019-06-29.
- ^ "Vedetta costiera V.800" [Coastguard cutter V.800] (PDF). GDF.gov.it (in Italian). 2019-06-29. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2019-06-30. Retrieved 2019-06-30.
- ^ "Sea Watch, la manovra raccontata dai finanzieri: "Poteva schiacciarci. Voleva attraccare a tutti i costi, non speronare"" [Sea Watch, the maneuver told by the guardia finanzieri: "It could have crushed. It wanted to dock at all costs, not ram"]. Ilfattoquotidiano.it (in Italian). 2019-06-29. Archived from the original on 2019-06-29. Retrieved 2019-06-29.
- ^ Rüb, Matthias (2019-06-29). "Riskantes Anlegemanöver lässt Stimmung kippen" [Risky docking maneuver causes mood to change]. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (in German). Archived from the original on 2019-07-07. Retrieved 2019-06-29.
- ^ "Matteo Salvini: Sea-Watch-Kapitänin Carola Rackete soll nach Hause" [Matteo Salvini: Sea-Watch captain Carola Rackete should return home]. .nau.ch (in German). 2019-07-03. Archived from the original on 2019-07-04. Retrieved 2019-07-03.
- ^ Charlotte Hauswedell (2020-02-21). "New migrant rescue ship 'Sea-Watch 4' launched". Info Migrants website. Retrieved 2024-11-28.
- ^ "Sea-Watch 1 • Sea-Watch e.V." Sea-Watch e.V. (in German). Archived from the original on 2019-08-01. Retrieved 2019-07-05.
- ^ "Sea-Watch 2 • Sea-Watch e.V." Sea-Watch e.V. (in German). Archived from the original on 2019-07-07. Retrieved 2019-07-05.
- ^ "Schiffsdetails Für: SEA WATCH 3 (Salvage/Rescue Vessel) – IMO 7302225, MMSI 244140096, Call Sign PE7098 Registriert In Netherlands | AIS Marine Traffic". MarineTraffic.com (in German). Archived from the original on 2019-06-27. Retrieved 2019-07-05.
- ^ "MSF and Sea-Watch announce collaboration to save lives at sea". msf.org. Archived from the original on 2020-08-07. Retrieved 2020-08-08.
- ^ "Sea-Watch 5". Marine Traffic. Retrieved 2024-11-27.
- ^ "Sea-Watch 5: I rescue too". Better Place. Retrieved 2024-11-28.
- ^ "Sea-Watch 5". Vessel Tracker. Retrieved 2024-11-27.
- ^ "Airborne: Seabird 1 & 2 • Sea-Watch e.V. Moonbird & Seabird] Civilian aerial reconnaissance mission at the world's deadliest border". Sea-Watch e.V. Retrieved 2021-06-16.
- ^ "December 2020 update - NGO ships involved in search and rescue in the Mediterranean and legal proceedings against them". European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights fra.europa.eu. 2020-12-16. Retrieved 2021-05-08.