Berlin, 14 February 2026. While hundreds of people are still reported missing in the Central Mediterranean, Italian authorities on 13 February detained the rescue vessel Humanity 1 for 60 days in Trapani, Sicily, and imposed a fine of 10,000 euros on the search and rescue organisation SOS Humanity. Authorities accuse the crew of failing to communicate with the Libyan Rescue Coordination Centre during their rescues of 33 people in distress. The detention order came shortly after the Italian government presented a bill enabling a ‘sea blockade’, a new measure against NGO rescue ships.
“Our crew informed all competent rescue coordination centres in accordance with international maritime law,” emphasised Humanity 1 Search and Rescue Coordinator Viviana di Bartolo. “We deliberately did not communicate with Libyan actors, as they cannot be considered legitimate search and rescue authorities – they are responsible for serious human rights violations against people seeking protection.”
According to SOS Humanity, this is the third detention of a rescue vessel from the “Justice Fleet” alliance within three months. The NGO-alliance criticises European support for Libyan actors at sea, whom it accuses of violence against people seeking protection and against rescue crews. In August 2025, the so-called Libyan Coast Guard fired at a non-governmental rescue ship.
“This dangerously turns reality on its head. While we save lives and are punished for it, the so-called Libyan Coast Guard is supported — the same forces that abuse and kill people fleeing,”said Marie Michel, policy expert at SOS Humanity. “We demand the immediate release of our rescue ship Humanity 1.”
According to SOS Humanity, this is the second detention of its vessel within three months. Earlier, the rescue ship Sea-Watch 5 had also been detained. Two of the largest NGO rescue ships in the Mediterranean are therefore being prevented from carrying out further rescues, the organisation added.
Meanwhile, the Italian government is further escalating the obstruction of humanitarian search and rescue in the Mediterranean. By introducing a new bill, Meloni’s government is planning a sea blockade for NGO ships: They may be prevented from entering Italian territorial waters for up to six months, if the authorities identify certain “security risks”.
“The renewed detention of our rescue ship Humanity 1 takes place in the context of another escalation of obstructing urgently needed search and rescue in the Mediterranean,” says Marie Michel. “With this draft law, which foresees a ‘naval blockade’, the Italian government is taking a dramatic step in its policy against civilian search and rescue operations. It further increases the humanitarian catastrophe at sea and blatantly undermines international law.”
Data from the International Organisation for Migration shows that in 2026 already 484 migrants were reported dead or missing following multiple shipwrecks in the Central Mediterranean amid extreme weather, with hundreds more deaths believed to be unrecorded.
SOS Humanity is a non-governmental organisation for search and rescue in the Mediterranean Sea. It was founded in 2015 in Berlin, has been active under the name SOS Humanity since 2022, and operating the rescue ship Humanity 1 since August 2022. Since 2016, more than 39,500 children, women and men have been saved from drowning in the Central Mediterranean. The vision of SOS Humanity is a world in which the human rights of all people are respected. In addition to search and rescue at sea, the work of SOS Humanity focuses on bearing witness to the abuses at sea and changing the EU’s closed-door policy towards migrants. All activities are supported by a broad voluntary and financial commitment by civil society.
