ROMA (ITALPRESS) – New administrative and pecuniary sanction for the Sea-Watch 5, the German flag vessel belonging to the same name NGO. The Italian authorities have placed the blockade of the ship for 45 days and inflicted a fine of 7.500 euros for violations of the norm on rescues at sea. The dispute relates to rescue operations carried out on Thursday 13 August 2026 in international waters, during which the crew has rescued 6 shipwrecks. The Minister of the Interior, Matteo Piantedosi, commented firmly on the measure on his X profile, stating that the ship “again once did not comply with the legal obligations foreseen during the operations at sea” and reiterated that “the activities of rescue at sea must be managed and coordinated by the competent States, not by the NGOs”.
On the other hand, the German humanitarian organization severely dismissed the charges, claiming the choice not to cooperate with Libyan marine authorities (JRCC), defined as a “ puppet authority”. The NGO denounced that, immediately after completing the rescue operations on August 13, armed Libyan militias approached the ship to move away and pointing the rifles against the crew. “We do not cooperate with criminals and traffickers. Can the Italian government say the same? ” has polemically replicated the Sea-Watch.
The ship had arrived in the port of Naples on the evening of Monday 17 August, around 20:00, with on board the 6 migrants rescued, including 3 unaccompanied foreign minors.
The landing and first reception operations, coordinated by the Prefect of Naples Michele di Bari together with a dense network of health and municipal institutions, ended without any criticism at 3:00 a.m. in the next morning. At the end of health screening and photo-signing procedures, minors were taken into account by the FAMI project, while the three adults were transferred to the Extraordinary Reception Centres (CAS) of the Neapolitan metropolitan area.
– Photo Ipa Agency –
(ITALPRESS).
