The detention of a German rescue ship in Italy has revived a long-standing debate over the role of private vessels in rescuing migrants in the Mediterranean. Last weekend, Italian police detained the Sea-Watch 5 for 45 days and fined the German organization that operated it €7,500. On August 13, the vessel rescued six individuals in the Mediterranean then, according to Sea-Watch, came across an unidentified armed boat, resulting in eight deaths.
The Italian Interior Ministry stated that the vessel was seized for failing to notify the Libyan coastguard about the rescue mission. The detention of Sea-Watch 5 is based on allegations that the ship’s crew failed to notify Libyan authorities of the rescue in international waters. However, the Italian Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre never directed us to do so,” Sea-Watch spokesman Giulia Messmer stated.
Messmer stated that the Libyan coastguard was on the site after the rescue and had contacted with the Sea-Watch crew via radio. The case is the most recent in a long-running conflict between Italian and German water rescue organisations operating in the Mediterranean.
Critics of the NGOs, particularly lawmakers from Germany’s conservative CDU/CSU alliance and the Alternative for Germany (AfD), have accused rescue organizations of pushing perilous Mediterranean crossings and indirectly supporting people-smuggling rings. Sea-Watch said it expected to file an appeal against the detention, most likely within the next week.
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