LIVE +++ Move your body, every everybody +++ Everyone pulls together to move the boat. First, it’s positioned at a slight angle to make room. Yesterday’s dry runs with the crane are on the agenda today, this time with the real RHIB (aka MOLLY). It’s not exactly like backing a car out of a parking spot. It takes quite a few hands to loosen the lines in the right spots and reattach them elsewhere. By the way, Eiffel 65. Not punk, but probably on the CD shelves of most kids who grew up in the ’90s. In 2025, the Italian Eurodancers gave a concert here during the San Domenico festivities in Augusta. Unfortunately, I missed it, but it must have been a real banger. And in the background, Mount Etna comes into view after the thick curtain of clouds has cleared for the first time.+++ ÓRALE PUES +++ „Con dinero o sin dinero hago siempre lo que quiero.“ In the background, Mexican ranchera music plays through the galley. José Alfredo Jiménez, one of the all-time greatest pop stars in Mexican music history, provides the soundtrack for dinner. Our head chef Naomi brought corn tortillas and chipotle chiles especially for this occasion, and plenty of black beans are being mashed to go with them. Bean purée, let's go! It's not H. P. Baxxter, but H. P. High Protein sending his regards. Buen provecho!+++ Dry runs under Greek direction +++ Under the guidance of our exceptional anti-fascist athlete from Athens, who is also a former top basketball player. Just a few years ago, he was on his way to becoming a star in the Greek basketball Olympus, but he’s since found a new passion (good for us!). As 1st Mate, that is, First Officer, he’s instructing the crew today on how to crane the RHIB. First up: dry runs. Instead of the actual RHIB, a basket stretcher is suspended from the crane to simulate the procedures. The crew needs to familiarize themselves with the crane, keep the lines taut from all sides, and move in a controlled manner in sync with the crane’s movements. Everything needs to be well-coordinated before they move on to the actual rescue boat (RHIB aka MOLLY) tomorrow.+++ So kind of pseudo-philosophical aka Descartes +++ I think, therefore I am, cogito ergo sum, or something like that. When not too much is going on every now and then, your mind wanders a bit. You sit together, get to know each other, strike up a conversation. Favorite animal: seahorse; favorite color: red; favorite music: punk. Just the usual small talk. And then you sit there and think to yourself, this is complete madness. People come on board who blow their entire annual vacation on rotation duty. Everyone’s so committed. The same goes, by the way, for the people who lend a hand during the shipyard work or volunteer with the association throughout the year (shout-out to them!). And without all the Amboatsador:as, there would be a nothing going on here anyway. From day one, there’s a sense of professionalism and mutual respect here, it’s insane. There’s already a certain tension in the air, officially goosebumps.+++ Fish Food +++ When the stove here is running at full blast and the rice ends up getting sticky (at least on the bottom of the pot), eventually even soaking and scrubbing with a metal scrubber won’t help. So, cast off, drop the pot into the harbor basin overnight, and the mullets will take care of the rest. The next morning, give it a good rinse again, and you’re all set. Fish are happy, dishy-wishy done, make some coffee, take a lunch break, and get back to work. Life hacks from the life of a seafarer, or rather, a country rat who’s lost its way. Follow live

Italy escalates obstruction of Justice Fleet: Humanity 1 and Sea-Watch 5 detained as deaths at sea surge

Justice Fleet Logo

After the crew of Humanity 1 rescued 33 persons from distress at sea and spotted two dead bodies, the Italian authorities detained the rescue vessel of SOS Humanity for 60 days on February 13. Since December, three Justice Fleet vessels have been detained, keeping the fleet’s rescue ships out of operation for a combined total of 95 days. As several hundred people have already been reported dead or missing in the Mediterranean this year, the Italian government’s obstruction policy is consciously putting more lives at risk, the Justice Fleet alliance says.

“Just a few days ago we not only saved the lives of 33 people but also found two dead bodies floating in the sea, just right in front of us”, says Viviana di Bartolo, search and rescue coordinator on board. “Our rescue ship Humanity 1 could be back in the Central Mediterranean now – but Italian authorities have decided to detain us in port – and leave more people to die out there!”

Credits: Sinawi Medine/SOS Humanity

The detention came after the crew refused to communicate with the Libyan maritime authorities, which the Justice Fleet alliance considers to be an illegitimate actor at sea. “The so-called Libyan coastguard is composed of violent militias with a track record of severe human rights abuses against refugees and attacks against search and rescue crews,” says Wasil Schauseil, spokesperson of SOS Humanity. “They are violating international law while we are being punished by the Italian authorities for upholding it. We will not let this decision stand — we will go to court.”

This third detention of a Justice Fleet vessel follows the detention of Sea-Watch 5 on January 31 for 15 days and the Humanity 1 on December 9, 2025 for 20 days.

Meanwhile, the Italian government is further escalating the obstruction of humanitarian search and rescue in the Mediterranean. With a new bill, Meloni’s administration is planning a sea blockade for NGO ships: They may be barred from entering Italian territorial waters for up to six months if the authorities deem there to be a “security risk”.

The detentions of the Justice Fleet vessels followed severe storms caused by cyclone “Harry”. Since mid-January, monitoring groups have reported hundreds of people missing after departing from the Tunisian coast. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) also reported another shipwreck last week with at least 53 fatalities.

Data from the International Organisation for Migration shows that in 2026 at least 484 migrants were reported dead or missing following multiple shipwrecks in the Central Mediterranean amid extreme weather, with hundreds more deaths believed to be unrecorded.

Credits: Sinawi Medine/SOS Humanity

Further information

More information on the Justice Fleet can be found here.

A list of extreme acts of violence committed by Libyan militias can be found here.

Photo and video material from the Sea-Watch 5 rescue can be found here.

Further information on the detention of Sea-Watch 5 can be found on the Sea-Watch website under News.

Kontakt:
Wasil Schauseil
SOS Humanity Pressesprecher
+49 (0) 157 85060814
info@justice-fleet.org

Ina Friebe
Pressesprecherin Justice Fleet
+4930120821923
info@justice-fleet.org