# List of ships for the rescue of refugees in the Mediterranean Sea

Migrant and refugee rescue ships that operate in the Mediterranean Sea taking part in the rescue of people endangered when attempting to migrate across the Mediterranean to Europe are often run by NGOs. They are variously chartered, donated, or bought specifically for the purpose of rescue.

## List

This sortable table is by default listed in order of the vessels' names:
| Ship | Organization | Flag | Length | Comment |
| Aita Mari | Salvamento Marítimo Humanitario (SMH) | Spain | 32 m | Blocked in Spain, Jan. - April 2019; Seized, Palermo May - Dec 2020. Resumed operations in Dec 2020 and (after pause due to accident to captain) ~Jan 2021 again resumed ops Oct. 2021 |
| Alan Kurdi (later ResQ PEOPLE) | Sea-Eye then Proem-Aid then RESQ (people saving people) | Germany | 38.6 m | Formerly oceanographic vessel Professor Albrecht Penck. Began Dec. 2018; Seized, Palermo, May - June 2020; Seized, Olbia, Oct. 2020. Acquired by 'ResQ (people saving people)' in July 2021 and renamed ResQ PEOPLE. |
| Alex | Mediterranea Saving Humans | Italy | 18 m | Sailing yacht; seized, Lampedusa, July 2019 - Feb. 2020. MSH also operate the Mare Jonio |
| Aquarius | Médecins Sans Frontières / SOS Méditerranée | Gibraltar | 77 m | Mission ended in December 2018. Followed by Ocean Viking |
| Astral | Proactiva Open Arms | Spain | 30 m | Sailing yacht; Began SAR operations June 2016. Periods of maintenance since. Proactiva Open Arms also operate Golfo Azzurro and Open Arms Expected to sail again in mid-Nov. 2021 |
| Aurora (rescue ship) | Sea-Watch/SAR-Relief | Germany (since November 2022 ) | 14m | Formerly Earl and Countess Mountbatten of Burma RNLI "Trent" class lifeboat; technical support from SAR-Relief Call-sign MKIT4. Rescued 85 on first SAR voyage in May 2022. |
| Bourbon Argos | Médecins Sans Frontières (Belgium) | Luxembourg | 69 m | Bourbon Argos operated 2015–2016; see also Dignity I (2015–2016); Followed by Prudence (2016–2017) -Mission stopped in August 2017. MSF have also worked with MOAS, SOS Méditerranée, and Mediterranea Saving Humans. |
| Dignity 1 (later Sea-Watch 3) | Médecins Sans Frontières | France | 50 m | Stopped operations 2016 Transferred to Sea-Watch NGO, Renamed Sea Watch 3 |
| Geo Barents | Médecins Sans Frontières | Norway | 77 m | Former seismic vessel built 2007. Missions started 13 May 2021. In June 2021 ~400 migrants rescued by Geo Barents and landed in Augusta, but then detained by Italian authorities on 2 July 2021. Resumed operations August 2021. Operations suspended, December 2024. |
| Golfo Azzurro | Proactiva Open Arms | Panama | 40 m | Proactiva Open Arms also operate a sailing yacht Astral, and Open Arms |
| VOS Hestia | Save the Children (operation Rescue at sea) | Italy | 59 m | Stopped 3 month operation in October 2016 |
| Iuventa | Jugend Rettet | Netherlands | 33 m | Seized in Trapani (Sicily) since August 2017 on allegation of cooperation with migrant smugglers |
| Josefa | RESQSHIP | Germany | 14 m | Sailing yacht; operated April - Oct. 2019; Resqship resumed operations in June 2021 with newer 18m ketch, the Nadir. |
| Life (ex-Seefuchs) | Proem-Aid | Spain | 26 m | Intended for use for training and raising awareness |
| Life Support | Emergency | Panama | 51 m | Converted supply vessel. Active since December 2022. |
| Lifeline (ex-Sea-Watch 2) | Mission Lifeline | Netherlands | 32 m | Seized, Malta, July 2018. |
| M.V. Louise Michel | none | Germany | 30.3 m | Former French Navy boat, refitted to perform search and rescue, with technical support from SAR-Relief; registered as pleasure craft. Active from August 2020, blocked by EU authorities from leaving port of Borriana (Burriana, Spain) since Oct 2020 due to registration issues. |
| Mare*Go (ex-Sea-Watch and ex-Mare Liberum) | Zusammenland (NGO), formerly operated by Sea-Watch and Mare Liberum (NGO) | Germany | 21 m | Formerly SEA-WATCH and Mare Liberum; renamed upon transfer to Mare*Go. Jan 2023 - May 2023 shipyard and starting operations in June 2023 |
| Mare Jonio | Mediterranea Saving Humans | Italy | 37.5 m | Active since October 2018. Declared subject to mandatory maintenance work- in port -Venice (Italy)- since Nov. 2020 MSH also operate the sailing vessel Alex. |
| Mare Liberum (ex-Sea-Watch) | Mare Liberum (NGO), formerly operated by Sea-Watch and subsequently by Zusammenland (NGO) | Germany | 21 m | Formerly SEA-WATCH; renamed upon transfer to Mare Liberum. Since 2017 no longer a rescue ship but monitors the Aegean. Blocked from operating, Oct 2021; Mare Liberum (NGO) disbanded May 2023 |
| Minden | Lifeboat Project / German Sea Rescue Society | Germany | 23 m | Aegean Sea, March 2016 - July 2016; Libya / Lampedusa, July 2016 - September 2017. No longer operational |
| Mission Eleonore | Mission Lifeline | Germany | 20 m | Former fishing boat, registered as a pleasure boat. Began August 2019; Seized, Pozzallo, Sept. 2019 |
| Mo Chara | Refugee Rescue | United Kingdom | 7.4 m | ex-RNLI Atlantic 75 Began early 2016; paused operations August 2020 |
| Nadir | RESQSHIP | Germany | 18 m | Following operations with Sailing yacht Josefa, April - Oct. 2019, Resqship resumed operations in June 2021 with an 18m ketch, the Nadir. |
| Ocean Viking | SOS Méditerranée / Médecins Sans Frontières | France | 69 m | Active since July 2019 Seized, Sicily, July 2020; Nov. 2020 at shipyard in port of Augusta (Sicily) Resumed ops Jan 2021 (maintenance in Naples May–June 21) |
| Open Arms | Proactiva Open Arms | Spain | 37 m | Resumed operations in November 2020, but later detained on 15 April 2021 in Pozzallo (Sicily) after completing a mission; permitted to return to Borriana (Burriana, Spain) on 29 June 2021 for required maintenance. Proactiva Open Arms also operate Golfo Azzurro and Astral Resumed ops Oct 2021 |
| Phoenix | Migrant Offshore Aid Station | Belize | 40 m | September 2017, MOAS mission in Mediterranean ended; vessel transferred to assisting displaced Rohingya in Myanmar |
| VOS Prudence | Médecins Sans Frontières Belgique | Italy | 75 m | Stopped operations in Oct. 2017 |
| ResQ PEOPLE | ResQ (people saving people) | Germany | 39 m | Formerly the Alan Kurdi; sailed to start rescue missions 7 August 2021 On first mission rescued initially 85 people, before docking at Syracuse with 166 refugees aboard. October 15, disembarked 58 rescued persons at Pozzallo at end of 2nd mission. |
| Rise Above | Mission Lifeline | Germany | 25 m | Converted early 2021. Expected to begin operations in 2021. Began ops Oct 2021 |
| Sarah (1986 ship) (ex-Zamba) | Search and Rescue for all Humans (NGO) | Germany | 22.63 m | former motor yacht, acquired 2023 |
| Sea-Eye | Sea-Eye | Netherlands | 26 m | Stopped operations after contestation of NL flag and seizure in Malta in July 2018 |
| Sea-Eye 4 | Sea-Eye | Germany | 53 m | Former offshore supply vessel, Purchased 2020, began operations 2021 (Successor to Sea-Eye, Seefuchs, and Alan Kurdi); detained in Palermo on 5 June 2021. Resumed ops Aug 2021 |
| Sea-Watch (later Mare Liberum) | Sea-Watch; subsequently operated by Mare Liberum (NGO), | Germany | 21 m | Renamed upon transfer to Mare Liberum, 2018. |
| Sea-Watch 2 (later Lifeline) | Sea-Watch; subsequently operated by Mission Lifeline | Germany | 32 m | Sold to Mission Lifeline and renamed Lifeline, autumn 2016 |
| Sea-Watch 3 (ex-Dignity 1) | Sea-Watch | Netherlands | 50 m | Seized, Sicily, July 2020, Sept. 2020 in port at Burriana (Spain) Resumed ops July 2021 |
| Sea-Watch 4 | Sea-Watch | Germany | 60.7 m | Active since August 2020; Seized (Palermo) Oct 2020 Resumed ops Oct 2021 |
| Sebastian K | Mare Liberum (NGO) | Germany | 14.5 m | Beneteau sailing yacht, acquired 2020 |
| Seefuchs (later Life) | Sea-Eye | Netherlands | 26 m | Stopped SAR operations in 2018. Then was donated to Proem-Aid and renamed ‘Life’. |

## Further related facilities

Since 2017, Sea-Watch have operated a SAR-coordinating reconnaissance aircraft, Moonbird, a single-engined Cirrus SR22, and since June 2020, also the Seabird, a twin-engined high-performance Beechcraft Baron 58. These are flown in cooperation with the Swiss NGO Humanitarian Pilots Initiative.
In December 2020, Association Pilotes Volontaires began operation of their Dyn'Aéro MCR4S reconnaissance aircraft named Colibri 2. Their original Colibri, of the same make, flew its first mission in May 2018. As of June 2019, they had logged 52 missions, sighting 54 boats and by their estimates saving more than 4,300 people.

## Further related organisations

For a period, the Search and Rescue Observatory for the Mediterranean (SAROBMED), based at Queen Mary University of London, monitored SAR operations in the region. SAROBMED in turn listed a number of other organisations, including (in addition to those mentioned above):
* Alarm Phone
* Borderline Europe
* Equal Rights
* The AIRE Centre
In conjunction with Alarm Phone, Watch the Mediterranean Sea monitors deaths and violations of migrants' rights at the maritime borders of the EU via an online mapping platform.
The German-based international movement Seebrücke has campaigned since 2018 for the humanitarian rights for people to migrate.

## Organisations with future plans

As of May 2021, the Italian group 'RESQ (people saving people)' had been working on plans to fund and start operating a further rescue ship. In July 2021 they announced their acquisition of the Alan Kurdi, which was renamed ResQ PEOPLE; they began preparing the ship for new rescue operations. RESQ PEOPLE sailed from Borriana on 7 August 2021 to start rescue missions in the central Mediterranean.