European Organisation for the Rescue of Lives at Sea. Updates from our Search and Rescue operations in the Central Mediterranean #OceanViking #TogetherForRescue
Joined April 2018
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6 Nov 2025
Help us keep our eyes in the sky. 🛫
Support the Albatross mission today: sosmediterranee.org/albatros…
ALT Help us keep our eyes in the sky. Support the Albatross mission. Photo credit: Max Cavallari / SOS MEDITERRANEE
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Jun 12
Thanks to the collaboration between @alarmphone, our aircraft #AlbatrossUNO & rescue ship Solidaire, 56p. will reach safety after drifting at sea.
While the EU Pact entering into force today prioritises deterrence and border control, civil society keeps mobilising to save lives.
ALT Credit: Claire Juchat / SOS MEDITERRANEE
ALT Credit: Claire Juchat / SOS MEDITERRANEE
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Jun 11
Yesterday #AlbatrossUNO took off to fulfill its mission: keeping Europe's eyes on the #CentralMediterranean. Our aircraft spotted 1 distress case: a rubber boat, 50 people on board. The boat was later assisted and rescued by
@resqship_int
's #Nadir. Air monitoring saves lives.
ALT Tess Barthes/SOS MEDITERRANEE
ALT Tess Barthes/SOS MEDITERRANEE
ALT Tess Barthes/SOS MEDITERRANEE
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Jun 11
We have recently collected accounts from survivors who describe witnessing or hearing about alleged forced organ removal, including as a form of extortion in Libya.
These reflect a broader pattern of systematic exploitation against people crossing Libya.
bbc.com/news/articles/c8xwxd…
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Jun 10
🚨 RECAP #Albatross mission
In less than a week, we documented 5 interceptions by the Libyan Coast Guard.
Yesterday, we witnessed an interception carried out by armed men aboard the same type of vessel involved in the attack on #SeaWatch5 in international waters last month.
ALT Tess Barthes/SOS MEDITERRANEE
ALT Tess Barthes/SOS MEDITERRANEE
ALT Tess Barthes/SOS MEDITERRANEE
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Jun 10
Since last April, the #AlbatrossUNO has documented several new LCG assets used to intercept people.
Interceptions mean people are captured and returned to #Libya’s system of suffering, abuse and arbitrary detention. Every interception condemns people to further suffering.
ALT Tess Barthes/SOS MEDITERRANEE
ALT Tess Barthes/SOS MEDITERRANEE
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🚨Shipwreck off #Malta: 53 people rescued, 11 bodies recovered.
It's not a tragic accident but the foreseeable consequences of political choices:
👉The withdrawal of state-led search and rescue efforts.
👉The outsourcing of border control.
👉The criminalization of solidarity.
Shipwreck off Malta: 53 people rescued, 11 bodies recovered mrf.lu/yNRH
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In 10 years of search & rescue operations, we have documented 318 deaths and disappearances at sea. They represent a partial account of a much larger reality, as many deaths at sea go unreported.
These deaths were neither inevitable nor acceptable.
👉 blogs.law.ox.ac.uk/border-cr…
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#AlbatrossUNO, the aircraft we operate with @HPISwiss, is flying again! Yesterday it took off in the early morning and spotted 2 distress cases. The first one, with 50 people on board. Authorities were alerted and the case was rescued by the Italian Coast guard.
ALT Tess Barthes/SOS MEDITERRANEE
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Later on in the flight, our crew on board #AlbatrossUNO spotted another rubber boat in distress. The sponsons were already partly deflated: men, women and babies were in imminent danger. It was @soshumanity_en 's #Humanity1 that performed the rescue of the people on board.
ALT Tess Barthes/SOS MEDITERRANEE
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May 29
68 survivors disembarked last night in Savona, four days after being rescued by the #OceanViking in the Maltese SAR. After surviving the sea, many arrived exhausted and carrying the marks of prolonged abuse, violence and torture endured in Libya.
ALT Marie Tihon / SOS MEDITERRANEE
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May 29
They are now in a Place of Safety. But assigning distant ports means keeping survivors at sea for days after rescue, while removing rescue ships from the Central Mediterranean, where dedicated search and rescue capacity remains urgently needed.
ALT Marie Tihon/SOS MEDITERRANEE
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May 28
🚨New revelation from #statewatch.
The #EU is expanding its cooperation with Libya’s eastern forces under General Haftar, including training for the coast guard and the establishment of an MRCC in #Benghazi.
A leaked document confirms the agreement. statewatch.org/news/2026/may…
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May 28
This comes just a few days after the evasive answer issued by the Commission to MEP Özlem Demirel about the LCG opening fire on the #OceanViking.
The #EU is refusing to hold their partners accountable, even in the face of blatant human rights violations
europarl.europa.eu/doceo/doc…
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May 25
The #OceanViking is sailing to the assignedPlace of Safety of Savona, Italy, around 4 days of navigation away from where the rescue was performed. Distant port assignments prolong survivors’ time at sea and keep lifesaving ships away from where they are urgently needed.
ALT Marie Tihon / SOS MEDITERRANEE
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May 24
This morning, the #OceanViking rescued 68 people from an overcrowded fiberglass boat in distress spotted from the bridge, in the #MalteseSAR. Survivors reported spending 24 hours at sea after departing #Libya. Many were found exhausted and dehydrated. They are now safe on board.
ALT Marie Tihon / SOS MEDITERRANEE
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May 24
Despite the dangers of the #CentralMediterranean, people continue to attempt the crossing in overcrowded boats in unseaworthy conditions. Every rescue is a reminder that dedicated search and rescue capacity, as well as safe and predictable rescue mechanisms, are #urgently needed.
ALT Marie Tihon / SOS MEDITERRANEE
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May 21
The Court of Chieti has fully annulled the 20-day administrative detention that had been imposed on our ship in 2023.
Saving lives at sea is an obligation of international maritime law!
Stop criminalizing those who save lives at sea.
sosmediterranee.org/the-duty…
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May 18
The 131 people rescued at sea by the #OceanViking disembarked safely in #Ravenna this morning. On the pier, the crew held a ceremony to honour the memory of the person who did not survive, declared dead shortly after arriving on board. We stand with his family and loved ones.
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May 18
His death is part of a wider reality: 2026 has already seen the deadliest start of the year in a decade in the central #Mediterranean.
These are preventable deaths, the result of political choices that continue to cause loss of life at sea.
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