SEA EYE 5

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122 migrants rescued in joint operation amid stormy weather

In a joint operation with Sea-Watch, the 'Sea Eye 4' brought 122 people to safety in four rescues beween the evening of March 7 and the morning of March 9. The 'Sea Eye 5' rescued 56 people in extreme weather conditions, including a three-day-old baby. They had been on an inflatable boat for at least 12 hours and were now able to receive medical treatment. The 'Sea Eye 4' responded to a total of four emergency calls. During the rescue operations, the crew, consisting of members of Sea-Watch and Sea-Eye, took 122 people in distress on board. The ship was now on its way to Vibo Valencia after the Italian authorities assigned it the port, which is around 460 kilometers away. The rescue was carried out in a joint operation by the two organizations. On the early morning of March 10, the crew of the 'Sea Eye 5' also rescued 56 people from an inflatable boat. Among the people was a three-day-old baby. The people seeking protection had gotten into distress at sea in strong winds and high waves. Due to the difficult weather conditions, the operation lasted over two hours; at around 3:00 a.m. the crew was then able to bring everyone safely on board. A medical evacuation by the Italian Coastguard was organized for the baby, who had to be treated for an infection, and his family, to Lampedusa. The migrants had been travelling on a rubber dinghy for at least 12 hours. They were wet, seasick and dehydrated. Many were weak and exhausted.

110 migrants rescued off Lampedusa

The 'Sea Eye 5' has rescued 110 people from distress in a series of missions between Nov 5 and 6t off the island of Lampedusa. The missions were characterized by challenges and a long struggle to coordinate the rescue measures with the Maltese and Italian authorities. The organization Alarmphone reported an emergency in the Maltese rescue zone on the morning of Nov 5. A boat with 54 people was discovered t at 10:56 a.m. The 'Sea Eye 5' was in close contact with the Maltese authorities. Despite difficult negotiations and a steady deterioration of the situation, the ship had to intervene after around five hours and evacuated the people because the boat was no longer seaworthy and water was entering. During the course of the day, further reports of maritime emergencies were received, prompting the'Sea Eye 5' to continue its search operations. The CompassCollective's sailboat Trotamar III' discovered another boat with 93 people on board, and stabilized the situation for the time being. The Italian Coast Guard then requested the 'Sea Eye 5Ä to provide assistance. On the way to the scene, the crew found another unseaworthy boat and rescued the 25 people on board. On the early morning of Nov 6, the 'Sea Eye 5' reached the 'Trotamar III' and embarked 31 more survivors ,after the 'Trotamar III' had reached its capacity limit. The Italian Coast Guard finally instructed the 'sea Eye 5' to hand over the 31 survivors from the last rescue to a Coastguard ship off Lampedusa and to take the remaining rescued people to the port of Ortona. However, the 'Sea Eye 5' could not reach this port for technical reasons. Operations manager Gorden Isler of Sea-Eye e.V. appealed to the authorities to assign a closer port, as the ship is not suitable for sea voyages lasting several days. Both ships were still heading for Lampedusa in order to enable the survivors to receive care as soon as possible. They urgently needed medical examinations.

65 people rescued in first mission

The "Sea-Eye 5" has rescued 65 people on its first mission in the Mediterranean. The crew found the people without life jackets in the boat, whose engine had broken down. The bad weather with high waves required an immediate evacuation. They took the refugees on board from an overcrowded wooden boat off the Italian island of Lampedusa on the night of Oct 30, 2024. On Oct 31, the castaways were safely disembark in the port of Pozzallo. The Italian authorities initially assigned the ship to the distant port of Ortona, but were then convinced that the voyage lasting several days would have been unreasonable for the rescued people for humanitarian reasons.