The Sea-Watch 4 rescue ship was not purchased by the Evangelical Church for the sum of 1.3 million euros.
In the heart of the Mediterranean, a coalition of organisations, led by United4Rescue, are working tirelessly to save lives and uphold international maritime law.
Established in November 2019, United4Rescue is an independent, non-profit alliance founded at a church congress in Dortmund, Germany. The organisation, however, does not own or operate any rescue ships, such as the Sea-Watch 4, which it supports through donations.
The Protestant Church in Germany (EKD) played a role in the founding of United4Rescue, but it was the church organisations that provided financial support, rather than operating the ships themselves. The EKD has never operated a ship.
The Sea-Watch 4, now known as Humanity 1, was the first "coalition ship" of United4Rescue. On its first mission, the ship rescued 354 people, not the 4,353 claimed, from smaller ships and unseaworthy rubber boats in international waters.
According to international law, ships have a duty to assist people in distress, as outlined in the International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue and the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea. This duty extends to the United Nations Convention from 2004, which states that rescued people have the right to a "safe place" regardless of their nationality or circumstances.
Captains must consider the search and rescue zone (SAR zone) established by coastal states and follow the instructions of the responsible maritime rescue coordination center (MRCC). If there is no distress situation, the ship acts illegally if it violates coastal state regulations, EU migration law, or international or EU regulations on the high seas.
Rescue ships must bring people to a "safe place". If a ship is assigned a port that does not meet the conditions of a safe place, the captain has the maritime duty to demand a new assignment. In August 2020, the Sea-Watch 4, under the command of United4Rescue, brought rescued people to Palermo, Italy, after approval from Italian authorities.
It is important to note that a rescue operation by an NGO ship is not illegal if the captain has made an assessment based on objective criteria at the time of the rescue. A rescue action is only unjustified if there were no criteria suggesting a distress situation at the time of taking on the rescued.
The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea also grants ships the right to peaceful passage. Ships have the responsibility of the state in charge of the rescue zone to determine a safe port, but the port to be approached does not have to be the geographically nearest one.
In conclusion, United4Rescue and its coalition partners are working diligently to uphold international maritime law and save lives in the Mediterranean. Their actions are guided by the principles of duty, safety, and the right to a "safe place" for those in distress at sea.
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