Migrants, 16 ships and 5 planes to patrol the Mediterranean: this is the NGO fleet
There are those who, like Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in the latest book by Bruno Vespa, define them as "pirate ships", mostly unrecognized, which transport "not shipwrecked, but migrants". And who, like Germany in response to the Farnesina, defends them as boats that "make a great contribution to saving lives in the Mediterranean". The national and European public debate has reopened on the fleet of non-governmental organizations that oversee the waters of the Mediterranean. But how many NGOs are involved and which ships do they have?
Sixteen ships, half fly the German flag
According to the latest survey, 16 ships are dedicated to rescuing migrants off the African coast, not all of them currently at sea. Eight fly the German flag. This is Humanity 1, for the German NGO Sos Humanity; of the Rise Above of the German Mission Lifeline; the Louise Michel, the humanitarian vessel financed by the British artist Banksy; the Sea Watch 3, currently under administrative detention in Reggio Calabria, the German NGO Sea Watch, which also owns Aurora, flying the British flag; the Sea Watch 5, which is about to be launched by the German NGO United4Rescue, a recent recipient of a 2 million euro loan from the majority that supports the Scholz government; Sea Eye 4 of the German NGO Sea Eye, now stopped in Spain at Burriana; of Resq People, of the Italian NGO Resq; by Nadir of the German NGO Resqship.
Mare Jonio, owned by Mediterranea Saving Humans (founded by associations such as Arci and Ya Basta Bologna, other NGOs such as Sea Watch and social enterprises such as Moltivolti of Palermo), is the only one to fly the Italian flag. The old tugboat Open Arms and the new flagship Open Arms Uno, of the Spanish Proactiva Open Arms, which also owns the Astral sailboat, flying the British flag and currently stationary in Spain, fly the Spanish flag. Spanish also the Aita Mari of the Basque NGO Salvamento Maritimo Humanitario, which has just temporarily suspended the last planned mission in the Mediterranean pending developments in the situation in Italy. Two other ships fly the Norwegian flag: the Ocean Viking, for Sos Méditerranée, a humanitarian organization entirely financed by solidarity donations, and the Geo Barents, of Doctors Without Borders, in the water from June 2021. Both are ready to leave, as is the Open Arms .
Emergency's first ship will soon be at sea
Next to operate in the central Mediterranean for search and rescue missions is also the Life Support, flying the Panamanian flag, an offshore vessel of 51.3 meters in length wanted by Emergency in memory of Gino Strada, who died in August a year ago. "It is true that we must never assume that what is right for us is also right for others, but saving lives can never be divisive," explains Pietro Parrino, the director of the Field Operations Department on the association's website. "This is our starting point, again this time."
Five planes patrol the Mediterranean
Alongside the ships, five aircraft patrol the Mediterranean: Sea Watch has two (Sea Bird 1 and 2) plus the Moonbird with the Swiss non-profit Humanitarian Pilote Initiative, in addition to two other aircraft of the French NGO Pilotes Volontaires (Colibri 1 and 2) e. In particular, they all monitor the stretch of sea in front of Libya. In 2019 ENAC did not grant take-off authorization either from Lampedusa or from other Italian ports to Colibrì and Moonbird, explaining that "the national regulations, as well as those in force in other European countries, for these aircraft provide for the use of recreational and non-professional activities only ". While rescue at sea falls to all intents and purposes "among professional operations", incompatible "with amateur-built aircraft".
