3 and 11 October 2013: Two shipwrecks off Lampedusa.

On 3 October 2013 and 11 October 2013, 636 people drowned when two boats carrying refugees sank off the coast of Lampedusa. The pictures of hundreds of coffins sent shockwaves across Europe.

18 October 2013: Italian search and rescue operation “Mare Nostrum” started.

The Italian government launched the operation “Mare Nostrum” as a military and humanitarian operation aimed at tackling the emergency of distress cases. The operation deployed 700 to 1,000 personnel as well as sea and air assets.

31 October 2014: Italy search and rescue operation “Mare Nostrum” ended.

After just one year, Italy ended the search and rescue mission as the EU and its other Member States refused to support the operation. Within one year, “Mare Nostrum” had rescued over 100,000 people from distress at sea and brought them ashore in Italy.

October 2014: Foundation of emergency hotline Alarm Phone.

The civil emergency hotline Alarm Phone was founded by citizens volunteering to provide support to people in distress along migration routes 24/7, particularly in the Mediterranean.

18 April 2015: Deadly shipwreck in the Central Mediterranean.

A large fishing vessel packed with refugees capsizes in the middle of the night in international waters between Libya and Italy. The shipwreck resulted in the death and disappearance of over 1000 people, only 28 people survived.

4 May 2015: Founding of SOS Mediterranee Germany in Berlin, later to become SOS Humanity.

German merchant ship captain Klaus Vogel, together with a handful of fellow citizens, founded SOS Mediterranee Germany in Berlin. They felt they could no longer stand by watching the humanitarian catastrophe in the Mediterranean without acting. In June 2015, the French association of SOS Mediterranee was founded. In 2016, the European network expanded with the foundation of an Italian association and a Swiss association in 2017. Together, they operated the ship Aquarius, the largest rescue ship in the Mediterranean in the beginning. The German founding organisation was to be rebranded SOS Humanity in January 2022.

7 March 2016: First rescue of the non-governmental rescue ship Aquarius.

The rescue vessel Aquarius, chartered with donations from European citizens, sailed from the German harbour Sassnitz (island Rügen) via Marseille and Lampedusa to its first mission in the Central Mediterranean. On the morning of 7 March 2016, the team of SOS Mediterranee performed its first rescue operation, rescuing 74 people from an unseaworthy boat off the Libyan coast.

17 March 2016: Rescue crew threatened in the Central Mediterranean. 

The rescue ship Bourbon Argos operated by Doctors Without Borders was shot at by a Libyan speedboat off the Libyan coast. SOS Mediterranee introduced new security measures aboard the Aquarius.  

2 February 2017: Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Italy and Libya.

The Italian government signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Libyan government on cooperation in the development sector, to combat illegal immigration, human trafficking and contraband and on reinforcing border security. Italy commits to providing equipment and technological support to the so-called Libyan Coast Guard.

3 February 2017: Malta Declaration signed by EU leaders.

With the Malta Declaration, EU Member States decided to provide €200 million to the UN-backed government in Libya, among others for training and equipment for the so-called Libyan Coast Guard – a milestone of shifting responsibility for search and rescue activities to Libya.

July 2017: Italy: code of conduct for search and rescue organisations.

Italy adopted a code of conduct for search and rescue organisations, claiming it would make rescue operations more effective. In fact, it hindered SAR activities and contradicted international law. The code of conduct required the presence of armed police on board NGO vessels and allowed Italy to close its ports for ships of organisation refusing to sign. This code marked the beginning of a series of increasingly restrictive measures intended to obstruct NGO’s SAR operations.

1 August 2017: Seizure of the rescue ship Iuventa.

​Operated by the German NGO Jugend Rettet, the crew of the vessel Iuventa rescued over 14,000 lives in the Mediterranean between 2016 and 2017. Italian authorities seized Iuventa on the grounds of allegedly “aiding and abetting illegal immigration”. The Iuventa investigation marked a new level of criminalisation of humanitarian search and rescue NGOs and their staff. The court case against ten Iuventa crew members, starting in June 2018 in Trapani, was to endure for six years, until all charges were dropped in April 2024.

June 2018: 4 months administrative detention of Sea-Watch 3 in Malta.

The Sea-Watch 3 was detained in Malta over alleged safety and registration issues, despite Dutch authorities confirming its compliance. Held for nearly four months, Sea-Watch condemned the move as a rights violation and operational obstruction. The incident set a precedent for Italy and Malta to routinely detain rescue ships under the pretext of safety and regulatory compliance.

June 2018: Malta closed its ports for people rescued at sea.

The Maltese government issued a press release announcing the general closure of its ports to NGO rescue ships. The closure of ports by both Italy and Malta for people rescued at sea sparked international criticism, with organisations like Amnesty International arguing that such actions undermined the principle of rescue at sea. After 2018, disembarkations of NGO vessels in Malta became significantly more restrictive, finally nearly inexistent.

June 2018: Italy closed its ports for people rescued at sea.

Italy’s Interior Minister, Matteo Salvini, declared Italian ports closed to NGO rescue vessels. After rescuing 629 people, including pregnant women and unaccompanied minors, the Aquarius was denied a place of safety in Italy and Malta, creating an unsustainable situation on board. Spain eventually assigned a port for disembarkation in Valencia 36 hours later; the port was reached after an additional week at sea. Malta’s and Italy’s “closed ports” policy led to long stand-off periods, leaving survivors and crew stranded at sea while places of safety had to be negotiated.

28 June 2018: Establishment of a Libyan Search and Rescue Zone (SAR zone).

The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) officially recognised a newly created Libyan search and rescue zone, with a Libyan rescue coordination centre responsible for the coordination of search and rescue activities, including the assignment of a place of safety. The EU is supporting the creation of such a SAR zone to be able to outsource responsibility, despite the dramatic human rights situation in Libya.

December 2018: Salvini Decree I (Security Decree I).

The decree introduced by Italy’s interior minister focused on tightening Italy’s immigration policies: it included the abolition of humanitarian protection, restriction of asylum procedures, and formalising the “closed ports” policy.

31 December 2018: End of rescue vessel Aquarius.

Following the targeted attacks by various governments, public authorities and because of the high risk of the seizure of the rescue ship, SOS Mediterranee and Doctors Without Borders ended the charter contract for the Aquarius after almost three years of operation and 29,523 people rescued.

11 June 2019: Salvini decree to make search and rescue punishable by law (Salvini Decree II).

The Italian government adopted a decree that rendered the rescue of people in distress a criminal offence. Ships entering Italian territorial waters without authorisation faced fines from €10,000 to €50,000. The United Nations and NGOs considered the decree a violation of human rights. 

29 June 2019: Captain Carola Rackete entered Lampedusa port without permission.

Carola Rackete, Captain of the Sea-Watch 3, docked at Lampedusa without authorisation after having rescued 53 people on June 12. After 17 days being denied entering a port and stuck at sea, Rackete, concerned for the survivors’ well-being, entered the port. She was arrested, facing charges of disobeying orders and endangering the vessel, risking up to 10 years in prison. On July 2, an Italian judge ruled that Rackete acted to save lives and ordered her release.

August 2019: Back at sea with new ship Ocean Viking.

After six months, SOS Mediterranee and Doctors Without Borders resumed their joint search and rescue activities with a newly chartered ship, the Ocean Viking, sailing under Norwegian flag. The former offshore supplier had been extensively converted for search and rescue, including the installation of a small board clinic and container dormitories. 

July 2020: Five months of administrative detention of Ocean Viking.

​The rescue ship Ocean Viking was detained by Italian authorities following an 11-hour port state control inspection in the Sicilian port of Porto Empedocle. The authorities declared “technical and operational irregularities” as the reason for the detention. SOS Mediterranee characterised it as a form of “administrative harassment”, aimed at hindering lifesaving operations of NGO ships.

September 2020: Administrative detention of Sea-Watch 4.

Following a Port State Control, Italian authorities detained the Sea-Watch 4, citing issues such as an excessive number of life jackets and inadequacies in the wastewater system. The detention was lifted in October 2020 after a legal intervention.

2 March 2021: Formal charges against 21 humanitarian NGO members.

Following the investigations initiated after the seizure of Iuventa, formal charges are brought against 21 individuals from humanitarian NGOs involved in search and rescue operations in the Mediterranean in Italy, including Iuventa crew members. If convicted, they would have faced potential sentences of 5-20 years’ imprisonment and fines of 15,000 euros for each rescued individual.

01 January 2022: SOS Mediterranee Germany became SOS Humanity.

After leaving the European network SOS Mediterranee at the end of 2021, SOS Mediterranee Germany continues its work under the new name SOS Humanity. By deploying a new ship to the Mediterranean, SOS Humanity aimed to expand rescue capacity, while also raising public awareness to advocate for changes in European migration policy. Another key goal was to bear witness to the humanitarian catastrophe and advocate for the rights of people fleeing across the Mediterranean, both at sea and on land.

May 2022: Libyan Coast Guard threatened rescue ship Sea-Eye 4.

The crew of Sea-Eye 4 reported that the so-called Libyan Coast Guard had forced them to leave “Libyan territory” by means of warning shots and threats of violence, despite the fact that they were operating in international waters.

27 August 2022: Launch of rescue vessel Humanity 1 and first rescue operation.

SOS Humanity brought a new rescue ship to the Central Mediterranean – the Humanity 1. Between 6 and 13 September, the crew of Humanity 1 rescued 415 people in four rescues. After 12 days of waiting for the assignment of a place of safety, Humanity 1 was finally assigned Taranto for disembarkation. There, after up to 17 days on board, all survivors could finally go ashore. By the end of the year, the crew manged to rescue 855 women, men and children from distress at sea.  

4 November 2022: New right-wing Meloni government tried selective disembarkation.

The new Italian government tried a new obstruction practice on rescue ships Humanity 1 and Geo Barents in the port of Catania. Only part of the 179 survivors on Humanity 1, after having waited for a port for two weeks close to Sicily, were allowed to go onshore. The captain refused orders to return 35 men to international waters on the grounds that this violated international law. After massive international media attention, egal support organised by SOS Humanity to defend the asylum seekers rights, and a short hunger strike of the remaining men, they were allowed to disembark.

16 December 2022: Landmark court ruling on 2013 shipwreck.

The Court of Rome ruled that the Italian Coast Guard and Navy were responsible for the deaths of 268 refugees who died during the shipwreck of 11 October 2013. The judges reaffirmed that distress calls at sea must be taken immediately, and rescue operations must be launched without delay.

December 2022: Practice of distant ports replaced closed ports policy.

Instead of ensuring that survivors are disembarked as quickly as possible in southern Italy, in compliance with international maritime law, the Italian government started to assign distant ports in the north and east of the country – an unnecessary burden for survivors. It also kept rescue vessels out of the operational area for many days. This practice replaced the former obstruction tactic of not assigning a port for up to several weeks, leading to long and psychologically difficult stand-offs of rescue ships at sea. The rescue ship Humanity 1 was the first affected by this new practice, when the 261 survivors onboard were assigned to the distant port of Bari for disembarkation, more than 600 km kilometres away from the site of the rescue.

2 January 2023: Italy issued “Piantedosi-Decree” to obstruct search and rescue.

Under the leadership of Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi, the Italian government issued a decree which contained administrative regulations for search and rescue organisations, some of which were contradicting international law. Among others, the decree foresaw that rescue ships must immediately sail to the assigned port after the first rescue they carry out and thus leave the area where most emergencies occur. If captains did not comply with the regulations they faced administrative detentions of their ships, fines between €10,000 – €50,000 and risked the longer detention or even the permanent seizure of rescue vessels when violations were reiterated. In  February 2023, the “Piantedosi-Decree” was converted into Law 15/2023 (“Piantedosi-Law”). Since then, often based on false allegations and in contradiction to the legal duty to rescue, ships of search and rescue organisations have been detained in Italy.

6 February 2023: Court ruled against Italian decree and in favour of survivors on Humanity 1. 

The court of Catania, Sicily, decided that the issuance of an Italian inter-ministerial decree imposing a ban on the rescue ship Humanity 1 in November 2022 was unlawful conduct. It discriminatorily hindered the right of rescue (disembarkation is part of a rescue) and access to the asylum procedure of protection seekers.

25-26 February 2023: 94 people died in a shipwreck off Cutro, Italy.

Close to the Italian city of Cutro, a boat with around 200 people in distress sank amidst harsh weather conditions. At least 94 people died, including 35 minors. No assistance was provided, even though state authorities and the EU border agency Frontex were informed and thereby legally obliged to initiate search and rescue measures.

14 June 2023: Over 600 people died in a shipwreck off Pylos, Greece.

A shipwreck off Pylos, Greece, resulted in the deaths of more than 600 people when an overcrowded boat carrying around 750 people capsized in Greek waters. Despite being alerted the previous day by Frontex and the civil hotline Alarm Phone about the distress case, Greek authorities failed to initiate rescue efforts. Only 104 people survived. Investigations raised serious concerns about Greece’s failure to act in time.

16 July 2023: EU-Tunisia Memorandum of Understanding.

The EU agreed with Tunisia to enhance cooperation across several sectors, including an EU-payment of €105 million for border management and building search and rescue capacities. The agreement, along with the funds allocated to Tunisia, was widely criticised, among others by the European Parliament.

4 December 2023: Humanity 1 detained based on false allegations by the authorities.

SOS Humanity’s rescue ship was detained for 20 days in Crotone, southern Italy, after disembarking 200 people rescued from distress at sea. The Italian authorities’ justifications for this blockade were based on false allegations by the so-called Libyan Coast Guard, which SOS Humanity refuted through its documentation of the events at sea.

February 2024: Greece responsible for Pylos shipwreck.

A Frontex report confirmed Greece’s responsibility for the shipwreck off Pylos in June 2023, in which more than 600 people died. Greek authorities had not taken any rescue measures for over 15 hours, although they were obliged to do so under international law.

February 2024: Italy-Albania Agreement.

On 15 and 22 February, the Italy-Albania protocol was confirmed by both sides. The agreement stipulated that those rescued at sea are to be brought to Albania, around 1,000 kilometres away, to undergo fast-track asylum procedures under Italian law and under detention conditions in reception centres in Albania built by Italy.

20 February 2024: Libya not a safe place.

Italy’s Supreme Court classified the handover of those rescued at sea to the so-called Libyan Coast Guard as a criminal offense. The reason: Libya cannot be considered a place of safety for the survivors to disembark.

March 2024: EU-funded Libyan patrol boat threatened people in distress and rescue crew.

On March 2, the crew of the Humanity 1 was able to rescue a total of 77 people from three boats in distress at sea, despite the violent and unlawful intervention of the so-called Libyan Coast Guard. Numerous people ended up in the water by the intervention of the armed men who fire into the water. According to the survivors, at least one person drowned, and numerous people were forced back to Libya. The patrol boat in question was financed by the EU and delivered to Libya by Italy the previous year.

March 2024: Four detentions of SAR ships.

Italy escalated the obstruction of non-governmental search and rescue with more and longer illegal detentions of ships. The Humanity 1 was detained for 20 days, but released after 14 days following an urgent appeal in court. Background: the so-called Libyan Coast Guard had intervened in a rescue operation by force of arms. The Sea-Watch 5, also detained, was released after 19 days following an urgent appeal. The Geo Barents (Doctors without Borders) was detained for 20 days as well. Authorities imposed a 60-day blockade for the first time, affecting the Sea-Eye 4.

19 April 2024: Italian court dismissed all charges against Iuventa crew.

After seven long years of legal proceedings, an Italian court in Trapani dismissed all charges against the Iuventa crew, citing insufficient evidence and doubts about witness credibility. The defendant Sascha Girke said that the proceedings were part of a “public defamation campaign against civilian sea rescue” to legitimise the crackdown on the civilian rescue fleet.

26 June 2024: Successful lawsuit – Libyan actors classified non-legitimate for search and rescue.

SOS Humanity’s lawsuit against the detention of Humanity 1 on March 4, 2024, was successful. The Civil Court in Crotone ruled that the detention was unlawful. The court also stated that the Libyan Rescue Coordination Center and the so-called Libyan Coast Guard cannot be considered legitimate search and rescue actors in the Mediterranean.

June 2024: Tunisian Search and Rescue zone.

Tunisia established its own search and rescue zone with the support of the EU and Italy. Critics argued this reflects another EU tactic to seal off borders, prioritizing deterrence over saving lives and violating human rights through illegal returns of refugees to a country where they are not safe.

September 2024: Escalation of administrative sanctions against SAR NGOs.

Italy intensified the detention of rescue vessels. The Sea-Watch 5 is detained for 20 days, the Geo Barents for 60 days. An Italian court declares one of the two detentions of the Geo Barents unlawful, but a second detention continues for 60 days.

September 2024: 10th anniversary of civil emergency hotline Alarm Phone.

Alarm Phone marks its 10th anniversary in 2024 with the publication of a report, reflecting on a decade of supporting people crossing dangerous borders. Since its inception, it has documented over 8,000 distress calls from the Mediterranean, the Atlantic, and the English Channel.

October 2024: New reception camps in Albania.

For the first time, twelve people rescued at sea are being brought to reception centres in Albania on the Italian military ship Libra under the Italy-Albania Protocol. A court in Rome rules that their countries of origin (including Bangladesh and Egypt) cannot be entirely considered ‘safe’, and thus does not confirm the detention of the men. The people seeking protection are brought from Albania to Italy and transported unnecessarily and costly around 2,000 kilometres back and forth. SOS Humanity criticises that the agreement between Italy and Albania violates international law and risks further undermining the fundamental rights of refugees.

November 2024: Italy-Albania deal halted again.

After seven more people rescued at sea were brought to Albania on the Italian military ship Libra, a court in Rome suspended the judgement on their detention and referred the case to the European Court of Justice – with the question of whether the countries of origin Egypt and Bangladesh can be comprehensively classified as ‘safe’.

December 2024: Further obstruction of search and rescue by “Flussi-Law”.

The Italian government passed a new law extending the “Piantedosi-Law” to further obstruct the work of search and rescue organisations. Under the new law, a new provisional detention of NGO vessels of up to 10 days was introduced, and the risk of permanent seizure of NGO vessels is increased in case of multiple violations of the law. In addition, the administrative sanctions are extended to civilian reconnaissance aircraft.

13 December 2024: Doctors without Borders (MSF) ended search and rescue operation in the Mediterranean.

Due to restrictive Italian laws and policies, Doctors without Borders announced it is forced to end operations with the rescue ship Geo Barents. However, the organisation is committed to resume operation in the Central Mediterranean as soon as possible. Since June 2021, the crews of the ship rescued 12,675 lives.

4 March 2025: UN Human Rights Committee’s Landmark Position on Search and Rescue Operations.

Following an urgent request by UpRights, StraLi, and SOS Humanity, the United Nations Human Rights Committee ordered, for the first time, Malta to take immediate action to fulfil its obligations under international law. The Committee instructed Malta to urgently coordinate a search and rescue operation for 32 individuals who had been in distress for four days near and on the Miskar gas platform. Malta also had to ensure their disembarkation in a place of safety.