LIVE +++ Lunch break on Lock ++ Past the harbor, over the bridge on Corso Sicilia, up and down the Lungomare Gioacchino Rossini, then on toward the Ex Salina Regina di Augusta nature reserve (to spot flamingos). Turned back at the closed-off military base (cazzo), but quickly took a dip at Spiaggetta del Sole instead. November 7, water temperature 20 degrees, let’s go. Back on land, I’m feeding the week’s receipts into the accounting system (quite a few have accumulated). In case you need a face to go with this largely anonymous live ticker, I’m Spinali, number 420. ;););)+++ Come on over just for a look +++ Or for a coffee, or a nice cold beer. Augusta is really nice, and Sicily is always worth a visit in the off-season anyway. For all amboatsador:as this is certainly a welcome opportunity to check on board and see if your name has truly been immortalized. As an amboatsador:a your recurring donation lands you a spot on our Wall of Fame aboard the SEA PUNK I. In black and white, or rather, punk on a ship. Find out more here: https://seapunks.de/en/become-an-honorary-punk-now/ Just knock and let us know a little beforehand, and we can certainly arrange a quick stop by on board, provided ship operations allow it. If you’d like to stay longer and lend a hand, check out this link: https://seapunks.de/en/shipyard/ And for those who just want to come as tourists, I recommend a place to stay with a balcony and the best view of the ship. You can just make it out way down there on the far right, behind the last bridge pier. There are worse views out there.+++ Panic Buying, Sicilian Style +++ Just like in the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve cleared out the toilet paper shelf. Other than that, here’s a so-called “HAUL”, the new term for showing off the spoils of an extensive shopping trip. Influencers can pack it in; we’re unpacking together. Among other things, we’ve got 8 kilos of frozen spinach, 7 kilos each of canned tomatoes, tomato puree, red lentils, and chickpeas. Plus cleaning products, lots and lots of them—it’s got to be nice and shiny on board, stationery (aka office supplies) for the bridge, biodegradable laundry detergent (safe!), granola bars in generous quantities, and water, water, and more water. Shopping haul, Sea-Punks Edition. Instead of a skincare routine, we’ve got beans and toilet paper.+++ Is old Holzmichel still alive? +++ Packed up 2 × 20 liters of SAE 30 motor oil. Fittingly, it also flows through quite a few tractors, so our hydraulics will run nice and smoothly again. Chief Engineer is satisfied. On top of that, we got a generous 30 percent discount on the thick stuff. The day before, I dropped off a small bouquet of flowers at the local marine supply dealer. B2B, isn’t it? Otherwise, I’m starting to crash a bit here, so I’m still proceeding with the handbrake on in the live ticker. At the same time, there are other construction sites. Don’t they have a tape measure that’s eight meters long? Crane sites need to be compacted. Oh, give me a break, Holzmichel is alive and well, so is the live ticker.+++ Keep the fire burning +++ Back here on land—1,800 kilometers away from Augusta, in Almania—preparations for our next rotation are in full swing. In the Media Department, we’re in constant contact with our Field Media Coordinator (FMC), who acts as our eyes and ears—both during training and, most importantly, while we’re operational—documenting everything that happens. This isn’t just about keeping you in the loop; it’s also crucial for ensuring we can later prove that we acted in accordance with all applicable regulations and laws. After all, it’s not unheard of for that to be called into question… Follow live

Sea-Watch 5 detained: Second Justice Fleet vessel punished for non-communication with Libya

Justice Fleet Logo

The German rescue ship Sea-Watch 5 has been detained for 15 days by the Italian authorities following a rescue operation and fined 7500 euros. This makes Sea-Watch 5 the second civil rescue vessel of the Justice Fleet—after the Humanity 1—to be blocked in port by authorities, while people fleeing across the Mediterranean continue to drown. Together with Sea-Watch, a dozen other search and rescue organizations, as part of the alliance Justice Fleet, have ceased their operational communication with Libya.

Italian authorities accuse Sea-Watch of having failed to communicate with the Libyan Rescue Coordination Centre about the rescue of 18 people in distress in international waters on 24 January – despite the so-called Libyan Coast Guard being notorious for its extreme violence and disregard for human rights. The Italian authorities base their actions on the so-called ‘Piantedosi’ law, which obliges search and rescue actors, during a rescue in the Libyan search and rescue zone, to communicate with the Libyan Rescue Coordination Centre in Tripoli.

Together with a dozen other search and rescue organizations, Sea-Watch, as part of the Justice Fleet alliance, publicly committed in November 2025 to ending communication with this very Libyan coordination centre in order to prevent violent pullbacks by the so-called Libyan Coast Guard. More than 70 extreme acts of violence by Libyan actors – such as firing on rescue ships and on people fleeing – have been documented in the Mediterranean over the past ten years, the majority committed by the so-called Libyan Coast Guard.

Giulia Messmer, Sea-Watch spokesperson:“By detaining Sea-Watch 5, the Italian authorities are punishing us simply for complying with international law. We do not communicate with Libyan militias that fire on rescue ships and kill people on the move.”

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.

Contact:
Giulia Messmer
Sea-Watch Sprecherin
+4930120821923
info@justice-fleet.org