MOAS, the first non-governmental organisation to operate in the Mediterranean, is returning to the central Mediterranean alongside its new partner Sea-Eye.
They will conduct search and rescue (SAR) operations to save lives at sea and raise awareness for the ongoing tragedy unfolding on Europe’s doorstep, they said.
MOAS will be operating on board the new rescue ship Sea-Eye 4, and will be providing personnel, resources, strategic input and expertise.
The Sea-Eye 4 is a former offshore supply-vessel currently being converted into a SAR ship and will be able to accommodate and supply significantly more people than the previous Sea-Eye vessels.
The joint MOAS/Sea-Eye mission is planned to launch in February with operational plans being developed over the coming weeks.
MOAS had suspended all its Mediterranean sea rescue missions in 2017, saying it was concerned EU countries were starting to use NGOs to push asylum seekers back to Libya.
"If the migrants are not provided security, if we're not allowed to take them to a safe port - and Libya is not - then we can't continue," MOAS director Regina Catrambone had said at the time.
According to the International Organisation for Migration, more than 700 people lost their lives at sea in 2020 with COVID-19 causing further deterioration of the migration routes, as many countries closed their borders and refused to allow disembarkation of the people rescued at sea.
“Although we cannot put an end to the instability and ongoing conflicts which force people to leave their countries, we do have a chance to reduce the number of deaths at sea by providing assistance to those who, in their desperation, continue to attempt the Mediterranean crossing,” they said.
MOAS has also launched a fundraising campaign to support the operations and is calling on civil society to show solidarity with those attempting the crossing and demonstrate that “we are not indifferent to the suffering of others”.
Donations can be made through this link.
Catrambone said: “We firmly believe that nobody deserves to die at sea in search of safety, that’s why we founded MOAS in 2013: to save lives. We are very happy about this partnership with Sea-Eye, to share our knowledge and expertise on SAR operations.
“Between 2014 and 2017, with our missions in the Mediterranean and Aegean Sea, MOAS rescued more than 40,000 people. Now, together with our partners, we want to rescue as many people at risk as possible. Civil society strongly believes that the implementation of #SafeAndLegalRoutes of migration is important to avoid further deaths at sea.”.
Sea-Eye chairman Gorden Isler said: “We are proud to bring the MOAS sea rescuers back into action on our ship. This is a milestone for Sea-Eye. Our operational cooperation has one main goal: to save more lives together. Between 2016 and 2017 Sea-Eye and MOAS crews met in rescue operations in international waters. Now we are working together on the SEA-EYE 4.”