LIVE +++ Life is Mistery - and a little love letter to wrap things up from your head chef +++ Training week is over and crew is off at sea but after 10 days spent with these amazing humans I thought it would be worth sending them a little love letter from land. Some nights ago I was asked to do a speech for which I was totally unprepared for, so here's a second try with what I would have liked to say then: I felt incredible humanity around me these days: commitment, excitement, frustration, closeness. It reminded me why we do this and how incredible people can be sometimes. My dear RT26/04 crew, I admire you deeply. I am grateful for your strength, and for how it made me stronger as well. You will do great things, and I'm so happy to stand together in this fight. Stay kind to each other, and fuck Frontex! ❤️‍🔥+++ Cast off +++ All rats on board! As I untie the last line from the bollard—effectively cutting the Sea Punk 1 loose from its mother ship—I’m overcome, as always when a rotation begins, by a mixture of relief, pride, but also a touch of sadness at not going out to sea myself. Mixed in with this are grim anticipation and anger: 10 days of training, thousands of euros in donations, tears and sweat—all so that we can do the EU’s job. So that we can resist the deadly logic of exclusion behind “Fortress Europe.” So that people can flee more safely and, once ashore, claim the rights to which they are entitled. Because in the end, that’s exactly what it’s all about. It’s about people who are moving across the world in search of a future and new prospects. On the other hand, however, there is isolationism, cooperation with violent militias, and a willingness to let people drown if they don’t fit into one’s own logic of nationalism or exploitation. Solidarity will win—on land and at sea!+++ Take-Off á la Ab-Norma +++ News from the SARCo: Ring Ring! Time to roll up our sleeves again, we’re ramping up the Gross Punk Product! The alarm clock yanks us out of bed early in the morning, and even in our half-sleep, it’s clear: Today is Sail Day! Today the ship is heading out for a test run, including training at sea. No more dry runs and splashing around in the harbor basin! Quickly down a cup of coffee, clear out of our quarters, and then it’s off to the ship for the final briefings and checks. Tension is, of course, at 1312%. A lot can still go wrong. Will the harbor give the green light? Will the engines start up without a hitch? Will the pier move out of the way in time when the bridge opens? Who cares! It’s time to set sail, Sea Punk-style.+++ Embarkation Scenario +++ Ten people are currently simulating the arrival of rescued individuals on board as part of a search and rescue operation. Everyone involved is assigned different roles to train the crew under conditions that are as realistic as possible. Just like here in the live ticker, I’m taking on the annoying communications part. Offering help (that nobody wants), answering questions (that nobody asked), translating (when no translation is needed). In other words, getting on the crew’s nerves in every way possible. The goal of the exercise is to practice communication management even in chaotic and stressful situations.+++ Give at Checkout - La spesa intelligente +++ At the local discount store Eurospin, the motto is “La spesa intelligente” (smart shopping); curiously, after shopping, you can enter a lottery at the checkout. With us, there’s less gambling involved, but instead, you have the chance to do a good cause in a very simple way when you pay. Just click the link (https://www.paypal.com/DE/fundraiser/charity/4167712) and select SEA PUNKS e.V. as your preferred nonprofit organization in your registered profile (click the heart). For future transactions, you can then add an extra euro if you feel like it. True to the spirit of “La spesa intelligente” - smart Shopping, supporting sea rescue. A dopo! Follow live

Rescue ship Trotamar III detained: Italian authorities once again hinder the Justice Fleet’s lifesaving work in the Mediterranean

Justice Fleet Logo

The German rescue ship Trotamar III, operated by CompassCollective, was detained by Italian authorities for 45 days and fined 10,000 euros after rescuing 25 people in distress at sea. Following the Sea-Watch 5, the Humanity 1, and the Aurora, the Trotamar III is already the fourth civil rescue ship from the Justice Fleet to be detained in port by authorities this year—while the Mediterranean has seen the deadliest start to the year since records began.

Trotamar III

After rescuing 25 people from a rubber boat within the Libyan search and rescue zone, the rescue ship Trotamar III was not allowed to leave the port of Lampedusa on June 29, 2026. Now, the Italian authorities imposed a 45-day detention on the ship as well as a fine of 10,000 euros. The reason: The crew had not communicated the rescue to the so-called Libyan Coast Guard, who are known for their violent pullbacks. Instead, the crew acted in accordance with international maritime law and notified the maritime rescue coordination centres in Italy and Malta, the maritime rescue coordination centres in Italy and Malta, which can guarantee a safe place of disembarkation for the shipwrecked. “Libya tramples on human rights and cannot offer a place of safety in accordance with international conventions,” explains Skipper Matthias Wiedenlübbert from CompassCollective.

“While the death toll in the Mediterranean is rising, those who save lives are being hindered. Pope Leo XIV reminded us on Lampedusa that ‘the dead in this sea are victims both of decisions that were made and that were not made.’ Detaining rescue ships is one such decision that has been made,” said Lisa Böhm, press spokesperson for the Justice Fleet.

About the Justice Fleet

In November 2025, 13 search and rescue organisations formed the Justice Fleet alliance, supported by a network of civil society organisations. Their goal is to protect international law by challenging the unlawful detentions of rescue vessels in Italy and Europe’s outsourcing of search and rescue to illegitimate and violent actors in Libya.

Press contact

Lisa Böhm
Spokesperson Justice Fleet
+49 1579 2485193
info@justice-fleet.org