Arbitrary detention: After rescuing 112 people from distress in the Mediterranean – NADIR faces baseless accusations in Italy.

The civilian sailing ship NADIR from the German NGO RESQSHIP has been detained by Italian authorities on Sunday, 8 June. The ship rescued 112 people in distress from an unseaworthy wooden boat. The rescue took place during the night from Thursday, 5 June, to Friday, 6 June, in international waters.

On the evening of 5 June 2025, NADIR spotted 112 people aboard an overcrowded wooden boat in the Central Mediterranean. Because of the unclear health status of 30 individuals below the wooden deck, the crew evacuated everyone immediately. After the completion of the rescue operation, around 3am and in waves up to one meter, the crew of NADIR was assigned Lampedusa as Port of Safety by MRCC (Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre) Rome which was reached 12 hours later. Upon arrival, the vessel got detained. It is the first time since becoming operational in 2021 that NADIR is subjected to criminalisation and prevented from monitoring the sea. Since then, NADIR has supported over 12.000 people in distress at sea.

RESQSHIP has been accused in two accounts of 1) not complying with informing the responsible authorities immediately, and with 2) not following orders regarding the assigned Port of Safety. However, NADIR operated at all times in compliance with applicable international law, when assisting the 112 people in distress last Thursday.

The accusations are based on Italian national legislation, specifically the Piantedosi Decree of 2024, and claim that NADIR failed to notify the Libyan and Tunisian authorities. Contrary to those accusations, NADIR followed the order of Italian authorities and repeatedly called Tunisian and Libyan RCCs, who didn’t answer. This lack of availability adds unreliability to missing protection mechanisms of the profiles of these so-called ›authorities‹ as collaborators in rescue operations. The allegations further ignore the fact that neither Libya nor Tunisia can be considered a Port of Safety for people on the move, due to grave and well-documented human rights violations.

When heading towards the officially assigned port in Lampedusa and reaching Italian territorial waters, NADIR was requested via phone to transship vulnerable people, women and children to an Italian patrol vessel and then, after a successful transshipment, continue with the remaining survivors to Porto Empedocle. A written confirmation of the request was never provided after the NADIR crew raised serious safety concerns about a partial transshipment and the separation of families. Selecting individuals from the crowded deck could have caused chaos, put people at risk of falling overboard, and triggered panic. Separating families would likely have re-traumatized survivors. The extended journey of 120 miles for the remaining passengers would in addition contradict the logic of a disembarking at the closest Port of Safety and expose survivors of a horrifying journey to further trauma and pain.

NADIR remained on stand-by outside the port until the Harbour Master of Lampedusa granted the ship to enter the port. Accompanied by several vessels of Italian Coast Guard, Guardia di Finanza and Frontex and with the explicit permission of the Italian Coast Guard, the NADIR entered the port of Lampedusa and safely disembarked all 112 persons rescued from a severe distress situation. The Coast Guard initiated an investigation into NADIRs recent operation and announced a detention order on Sunday.

“This detention is not about right or wrong, it’s about politics. The accusations are baseless, and the decision to hold NADIR is arbitrary. Civilian sea rescue is being deliberately obstructed to serve a political agenda”, states Amelie Walther, spokesperson of RESQSHIP.

RESQSHIP condemns the arbitrary detention of its sailing vessel NADIR. We call for the immediate and unconditional release of the vessel.

Press contact: Merle Dammhayn
Phone: +39 331 4218860
Email: presse@resqship.org

Credits: RESQSHIP e. V.

Credits Foto: Leon Salner | RESQSHIP e. V.