Save, Protect, Testify  

Caption

"Since 2014, more than 20,000 people have died trying to cross the Mediterranean on makeshift boats, not counting all those who have gone missing without a trace. Most of these men, women and children were trying to escape an unbearable situation in Libya, making the central Mediterranean the deadliest maritime migration route in the world.

SOS MEDITERRANEE was created in 2015 as a movement of European citizens determined to act against the humanitarian crisis caused by repeated shipwrecks at sea.

Convinced that it is not acceptable to let thousands of people die on Europe’s doorstep, we pursue our mission to:
- save lives at sea;
- protect and care for survivors;
- bear witness to this tragedy and give a voice to people we rescue.

Thanks to the exceptional mobilisation of European civil society, SOS MEDITERRANEE carries out rescue operations in international waters off the Libyan coast. Associations have been created in France, Germany, Italy and Switzerland to support this tremendous surge of solidarity.

With the Aquarius first and the Ocean Viking later, 33,000 people were rescued, cared for and brought to safety onshore by the search and rescue teams of SOS MEDITERRANEE between the start of operations in February 2016 and the spring of 2021. A quarter of these survivors were minors, over 80% of them were unaccompanied. All our operations are carried out in strict compliance with international maritime law and in permanent liaison with competent maritime authorities.

Chartering a vessel such as the Ocean Viking -capable of sailing in winter and summer, its crew, fuel and all the equipment necessary to care for survivors, generate significant costs. SOS MEDITERRANEE is calling for support and mobilisation of all civil society stakeholders in order to give us the means to continue our rescue mission in this immense area of distress for thousands of men, women and children."