''SOS Méditerranée'' is a European, maritime-humanitarian organization for the rescue of life at sea, currently operating in the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on th ...

sea in

international waters The terms international waters or transboundary waters apply where any of the following types of bodies of water (or their drainage basins) transcend international boundaries: oceans, large marine ecosystems, enclosed or semi-enclosed region ...

north of

Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Su ...

. The organization chartered the '' Aquarius'' and more recently the '' Ocean Viking'' in order to rescue people fleeing by sea from Libya and who risk drowning. The group was founded in June 2015 by German former captain Klaus Vogel and Frenchwoman Sophie Beau after the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

navy ended the rescue

Operation Mare Nostrum Operation Mare Nostrum was a year-long naval and air operation commenced by the Italian government on 18 October 2013, which brought at least 150,000 migrants to Europe, mainly from Africa and the Middle East. The operation ended on 31 October 201 ...

in 2014. Its headquarters are in

Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Fran ...

(

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard language, Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the List of cities in Italy, second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 ...

(

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

Frankfurt Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , " Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its ...

(

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland. Situ ...

( Switzerland).

European migration

The organization is best known for its actions during the

European migrant crisis The 2015 European migrant crisis, also known internationally as the Syrian refugee crisis, was a period of significantly increased movement of refugees and migrants into Europe in 2015, when 1.3 million people came to the continent to request ...

of rescuing migrants from sinking vessels in international waters north of Libya and providing the survivors with medical care and shelter, before being disembarked in a place of safety mostly in European ports in

and

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

. Since the start of the rescue operation in 2015, the ''Aquarius'' has saved more than 29,000 lives. They are considered a "taxi service for migrants" by Italian Minister of the Interior, deputy prime minister and leader of the far-right anti-migration party La Lega

Matteo Salvini Matteo Salvini (; born 9 March 1973) is an Italian politician who has served as Deputy Prime Minister of Italy and Minister of Infrastructure and Transport since 2022. He has been Federal Secretary of Italy's Lega Nord (Northern League) party ...

and have been denied entry to Italy and Malta. They work in partnership with

Doctors Without Borders Doctor or The Doctor may refer to: Personal titles * Doctor (title), the holder of an accredited academic degree * A medical practitioner, including: ** Physician ** Surgeon ** Dentist ** Veterinary physician ** Optometrist *Other role ...

. SOS Méditerranée clashed with Libyan coastguards during 2017 but continues to operate in the Libyan search and rescue region in international waters north of Libya.

Network

SOS Méditerranée works as a European association with teams in

and Switzerland forming a European network, jointly financing and operating the rescue ship Aquarius, which has been in continuous operation since February 2016 in international waters between Italy and Libya. The medical care has been provided by Doctors without Borders since May 2016.

The ''Aquarius''

It is a robust and seaworthy ship that offers wide spaces below deck, making it very suitable for year-round use as a rescue ship in the Mediterranean. Until 2009 the ''Aquarius'' was operated as a fishery protection vessel. * Size: Length 77 m, Width 11.8 m, Draught 5.6 m * Crew: Nautical and Technical Crew of 10 + Search and Rescue and Medical Crew * Rescue capacity: 200 – 550 people * Costs per day: 11.000 € SOS Méditerranée used the ''Aquarius'' from February 2016 to October 2018, after which operations have continued with the ''Ocean Viking''.About Us
''sosmediterranee.com'', accessed 30 April 2021

''Ocean Viking''

On 21 July 2019 SOS Méditerranée announced a new rescue campaign off the Libyan coast, using a cargo ship, the '' Ocean Viking''. The approach is supported by the Norwegian authorities; the vessel is registered there. The operation costs €14,000 per day. The 69 m long by 15 m wide vessel was built in 1986 to serve as a support vessel for oil rigs in the North Sea. She is operated by around thirty people (nine crew members, a search and rescue team and medical personnel) and can carry up to 200 survivors. ''Ocean Viking'' is faster and better equipped than the ''Aquarius''. Onboard microphones and cameras will make it possible to record everything that happens on board and around the boat, in order to prove, if necessary, that operations are carried out within a legal framework. The ship, which will respect the ban on disembarking migrants in Italian ports, is banned from refueling in Malta.L’« Ocean-Viking », qui vient en aide aux migrants en Méditerranée, interdit de ravitaillement à Malte
(''tr. "The "Ocean-Viking", which helps migrants in the Mediterranean, banned from refueling in Malta"'') 21 July 2019 ''www.lemonde.fr'', accessed 6 May 2021 As of 2021, SOS Méditerranée continues its life-saving rescue operations using the ''Ocean Viking''.

Funding

SOS MEDITERRANEE is a non-profit association and is financed through private and public donations. Its partner, Doctors Without Borders (MSF), contributes to the monthly costs for the ''Aquarius'' and staffs the medical team on board.

References

External links

Official website
*https://ilmanifesto.it/porro-sos-mediterranee-in-questa-crisi-sbagliano-sia-roma-che-parigi/ {{European migrant crisis Social welfare charities Sea rescue organizations Humanitarian aid organizations in Europe Foundations based in France