A coalition of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) has strongly condemned the Italian government’s recent escalation in imposing administrative stops on humanitarian ships engaged in rescuing migrants at sea. In a joint statement issued on March 14, SOS Humanity, Sea Eye, Sea Watch, and United4Rescue decried the surge in administrative halts imposed on their German-flagged rescue vessels over the past week.
According to the NGOs, three of their rescue ships – Humanity 1, Sea-Watch 5, and Sea-Eye 4 – have been barred from carrying out their lifesaving operations “based on false accusations” leveled by Italian authorities. Of particular concern is the unprecedented 60-day blockade imposed on the Sea-Eye 4 vessel, marking a significant escalation in Italy’s actions against civilian sea rescue efforts.
The organizations emphasized that these administrative stops, each typically lasting 20 days, have effectively grounded their combined rescue fleets for a total of 100 days, preventing them from conducting vital humanitarian missions in the Mediterranean.
Marie Michel, a spokesperson for SOS Humanity, strongly condemned the situation, labeling the detentions as illegitimate and calling for an immediate cessation of such practices. “It is a scandal that the ship crews of rescue ships in the Central Mediterranean were threatened by the so-called Libyan Coast Guard, financed by Europe, and that after having safely delivered the surviving migrants, they are then kept in Italian ports based on false and illegitimate charges,” she added.
The NGOs have announced their intent to take legal action against what they deem the “illegal detention” of their rescue ships, vowing to challenge the Italian government’s measures.
The 60-day administrative detention imposed on the Sea-Eye 4 vessel has drawn particular outrage from the NGOs. They claim that this detention, imposed under the “Piantedosi decree,” is the longest administrative blockade ever imposed on a rescue ship at sea. The Sea-Eye 4 had rescued 144 migrants, including 40 minors and infants, off the Libyan coast and transported them to the port of Reggio Calabria. However, Italian authorities accused the ship of conducting the rescue operation in international waters despite the Libyan Coast Guard offering to intervene.
The NGOs have condemned the detention as a politically motivated move aimed at hindering lifesaving efforts at sea.