Marseille, France – 10 June 2026 – Nine years after a long legal proceeding was initiated against Search and Rescue staff, one of whom was a member of SOS MEDITERRANEE, the Criminal Court of Catania acquitted our colleague and the other former Aquarius crew members earlier this week of charges related to alleged illegal activities and illicit waste trafficking.
The case followed a lengthy investigation by the Catania prosecutor’s office into the disposal of onboard waste, particularly clothing belonging to rescued people and waste generated through medical activities during Aquarius operations in 2017 and 2018. The prosecutor’s office classified these items as infectious sanitary waste requiring special handling – a characterisation that SOS MEDITERRANEE has consistently contested.
SOS MEDITERRANEE is relieved by this decision; despite the significant burden it has placed on the organisation and its staff over many years. At the same time, we reaffirm our long-standing confidence in the professionalism of our teams and in the full compliance of all aspects of our operations with applicable maritime, environmental, and other relevant standards and regulations.
This case is yet another example of Italian governments manipulating the law and instrumentalising administrative regulations to harass, obstruct and criminalise the life-saving activities of SAR organisations operating in the Central Mediterranean.
Note for the editor
On 5 November 2018, SOS MEDITERRANEE and its partner at the time, MSF, were notified of a request for the seizure of the Aquarius, a former rescue vessel operated by SOS MEDITERRANEE.
The decision came after the end of a year-long investigation by the Catania prosecutor’s office regarding the disposal of on-board waste, with particular reference to clothes of rescued people, and waste from on-board medical activities during the operations of the Aquarius in the period 2017-2018. According to the prosecutor, these items – migrants’ clothes, leftover food and medical waste – had to be considered infectious sanitary waste and managed accordingly at higher costs.
The accusations of the prosecutor, that involved the SOS MEDITERRANEE’s at the time Coordinator for SAR activities, an illegal activity aimed at illicit waste trafficking in order to save money, while also supposedly creating a sanitary risk on Italian land.
For the management of on-board waste on all our rescue vessels, SOS MEDITERRANEE and its team members have always followed standard procedures based on current regulations and regular contracts with port agents and authorised companies. All on-board waste was delivered to the authorised waste management company and destined for regular disposal. No sanitary risk for public health has ever been acknowledged on a rescue boat since the activities at sea began.
