29.08.2024. In the Annual Report published today – for the first time also in an English edition – the non-governmental search and rescue organisation provides an overview of the activities, challenges and successes of 2023.

The report presents a visually appealing summary with many photos and graphics, the content being compact and varied with facts, figures and quotes about the operations at sea and the work on land. Across 36 pages, it provides insights into the financial situation and special challenges of the 2023 financial year. The income, which reflects the broad support from civil society, as well as the expenses, are depicted in detail.

In six missions of the rescue ship Humanity 1 and 24 rescues over the year, the crew of Humanity 1 rescued a total of 1,101 people from distress at sea and brought them to a place of safety – despite the increasing blockade by the relevant authorities.

“The ultra-right-wing Italian government has significantly expanded the targeted obstruction of rescue work by civilian ships in 2023,” summarises Till Rummenhohl, Managing Director of SOS Humanity. “The blockade includes the deliberate assignment of distant ports in northern Italy for the disembarkation of survivors, which keeps us away from the rescue area for a long time. The politically motivated detention of NGO ships increased dramatically in 2023, and the Humanity 1 was also affected in December. But rescue remains a duty, and the more than 2,500 people who drowned while fleeing across the central Mediterranean over the past year show that we are urgently needed.”

SOS Humanity’s Annual Report, hot off the press, shows how the search and rescue organisation is increasingly successful in legally defending itself against the obstruction of its work and why more and more women are getting involved at sea. It also shows why celebrities such as actors Bjarne Mädel and Heike Makatsch are supporting SOS Humanity on land.

Many other topics and details can be found in the full SOS Humanity Annual Report 2023, now available online as a PDF document. We are happy to send you printed copies on request.