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Press releases and statements

Tess Barthes / Kenny Karpov / SOS MEDITERRANEE

Tess Barthes / Kenny Karpov / SOS MEDITERRANEE

PRESS RELEASES AND STATEMENTS

STILL AT SEA: Ten Years of Rescue in the Central Mediterranean

9.03.2026

Tess Barthes / SOS MEDITERRANEE

Tess Barthes / SOS MEDITERRANEE

PRESS RELEASES AND STATEMENTS

Safe Countries and Naval Blockade: Government Targets NGOs and the Rights of People on the Move

12.02.2026

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Tess Barthes / SOS MEDITERRANEE

PRESS RELEASES AND STATEMENTS

Boat in Distress Intercepted by Libyan Coast Guard Following Reported Aerial Support in International Waters

15.01.2026

Jérémie Lusseau / SOS MEDITERRANEE

Jérémie Lusseau / SOS MEDITERRANEE

PRESS RELEASES AND STATEMENTS

The Ocean Viking returns to sea following Libyan Coast Guard attack

16.12.2025

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Still at Sea

Jean Julien

Jean Julien

STILL AT SEA

Still at Sea

7.03.2026

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Eyes of the photographer

Tess Barthes / SOS MEDITERRANEE

Tess Barthes / SOS MEDITERRANEE

EYES OF THE PHOTOGRAPHER

Eyes Steady, Mind Still: Tess Barthes on the Lookout Duty

19.02.2026

© SOS MEDITERRANEE / Charles Thiefaine

SOS MEDITERRANEE / Charles Thiefaine

EYES OF THE PHOTOGRAPHER

[Eyes of the photographer] – Charles Thiefaine

13.12.2024

© SOS MEDITERRANEE / Camille Martin Pana

EYES OF THE PHOTOGRAPHER

[Eyes of the Photographer] Camille

1.10.2024

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Tess Barthes / SOS MEDITERRANEE

EYES OF THE PHOTOGRAPHER

[Eyes of the photographer] “They were singing to regain their dignity”

1.03.2024

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Eyes on the central Med

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Tess Barthes / SOS MEDITERRANEE

EYES ON THE CENTRAL MED

Eyes on the Central Mediterranean: Albatross Mission Resumes to Monitor a Deadly Route

9.02.2026

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EYES ON THE CENTRAL MED

[EYES ON THE CENTRAL MED #64] Three SAR vessels detained amidst escalation of humanitarian needs in the central Mediterranean

1.09.2023

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EYES ON THE CENTRAL MED

[EYES ON THE CENTRAL MED #63] Surge of departures from Tunisia and rising insecurity in the Central Mediterranean

28.07.2023

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EYES ON THE CENTRAL MED

[EYES ON THE CENTRAL MED #62] Up to 600 children, women and men died because of Europe’s inaction amidst EU States violation of maritime law and increased support to third countries to continue forced returns and arbitrary arrests

21.06.2023

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Stories from our team members

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STORIES FROM OUR TEAM MEMBERS

Anne, doctor: “On merchant vessel Sider, our intevention made the difference between life and death”

29.01.2026

A white woman with wavy blonde hair wearing a navy blue t-shirt with a stethoscope around her neck

Flavio Gasperini

STORIES FROM OUR TEAM MEMBERS

“Each crew member reacts differently to traumatic events”

9.10.2025

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Michael Bunel/SOS MEDITERRANEE

STORIES FROM OUR TEAM MEMBERS

“Our purpose is to fight for the defense of human life”

18.08.2025

Javier Alvarez / SOS MEDITERRANEE

Javier Alvarez / SOS MEDITERRANEE

STORIES FROM OUR TEAM MEMBERS

Day of the Seafarer

25.06.2025

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Meet rescued people

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Javier Alvarez / SOS MEDITERRANEE

MEET RESCUED PEOPLE

Honoring International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women

24.11.2025

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Johanna de Tessieres / SOS MEDITERRANEE

MEET RESCUED PEOPLE

World Children’s Day: 10,387 Lives Saved

19.11.2025

Giannis Skenderoglou / SOS MEDITERRANEE

MEET RESCUED PEOPLE

Precious: Life After the Crossing

20.06.2025

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News

SOS MEDITERRANEE / Tess Barthes

SOS MEDITERRANEE / Tess Barthes

NEWS

Migration in the news

18.11.2025

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Max Cavallari / SOS MEDITERRANEE

NEWS

Cooperation between Italy and Libya is deadly. Here’s why:

14.10.2025

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Tess Barthes / SOS MEDITERRANEE

NEWS

The void left by EU states has turned into chaos

22.08.2025

SOS MEDITERRANEE / Tess Barthes

SOS MEDITERRANEE / Tess Barthes

NEWS

“No Money, No Freedom”: Torture and Extortion of Migrants in Libya

26.06.2025

A country in focus

Map highlighting Syria

SOS MEDITERRANEE

A COUNTRY IN FOCUS

A Country in Focus: Syria

12.02.2025

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Videos

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VIDEOS

❤️2024: Your Solidarity, Their Lifeline

10.01.2025

© Anthony Jean / SOS MEDITERRANEE

NEWS VIDEOS

[VIDEO] Restoring dignity

3.10.2024

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Greta De Lazzaris

VIDEOS

“Io Capitano,” a film by Matteo Garrone that holds deep meaning

13.03.2024

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Tess Barthes / SOS MEDITERRANEE

NEWS VIDEOS

Menstrual health challenges and migration

13.03.2024

SRR

Search and Rescue Region

At the bottom of the chart, in light green, the Libyan SRR, above that, in ...

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CPR

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation is a last resort intervention, for when a person is not breathing. It ...

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PSC

PSC (Port State Control) is an inspection regime for countries to inspect foreign-registered ships i...

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PoB

Number of persons onboard

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EGC

Enhanced Group Call :

Excerpt from the GMDSS Manual:

3.7.9 The EGC system, which was developed by In...

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ETD

Estimated Time of Departure

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PoS

Place of Safety :

Location where rescue operations are considered to terminate. It is also a place w...

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Tug

A small vessel designed to tow or push large ships or barges. Tugs have powerful diesel engines and ...

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ETA

Expected Time of Arrival

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RCC

Rescue Coordination Center A unit responsible forpromoting efficient organization of SAR services a...

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SRU

Search and Rescue Unit : A unit composed of trainedpersonnel and provided with equipment suitable ...

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SMC

SAR Mission Coordinator

The official temporarilyassigned to coordinate response to an actual or appa...

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OSC

On-Scene Coordinator:

A person designated to co-ordinate SAR operations within a specified area.

If...

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IOM

International Organisation for Migration :

Established in 1951, IOM is the leading inter-governmenta...

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IMO

International Maritime Organisation :

United Nations specialized agency with responsibility for the ...

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AFM

Armed Force of Malta :

Maltese maritime authority, in charge of the Maltese SAR Service.

https://afm...

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MCP

Mass Casualty Plan :

A situation where there is more than 1 unconscious person to resuscitate. In th...

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VHF

Very High Frequency :

ITU designation for the range of radio frequency electromagnetic waves (radio ...

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RIB

Rigid Inflatable Boat :

Boat with rigid hull and inflatable tubes around the hull, generally with ou...

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GPS

Global Positioning System

A specific satellite-based radio navigation system in conjunction with mob...

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VTS

Vessel Traffic Service : VTS are shore-side systems which range from the provision of simple inform...

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SAR

Search And Rescue :

Search: An operation, normally co-ordinated by a rescue coordination center or r...

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MRO

Mass Rescue Operation :

A mass rescue operation (MRO) is one that involves the need for immediate ...

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Bow

Front of the ship.

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AIS

Automatic Identification System :

The AIS is a maritime transponder, used in VHF frequency for ident...

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GACS

The General Administration for Costal Security (GACS) is a Law Enforcement entity established within...

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FPSO

FPSO: A floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) unit is a floating vessel used by the o...

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SSAS

Ship Security Alert System :

Excerpt from the GMDSS Manual :

3.9.1 […] The SSAS is fitted to a ship ...

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MMSI

Maritime Mobile Service Identity number :

All vessels operating on the high seas require a Maritime...

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RHIB

Rigid-Hulled Inflatable Boat :

Boat with rigid hull and inflatable tubes around the hull, generally ...

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MRCC

Maritime Rescue Coordination Center

An RCC dealing with maritime SAR incidents.

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LNCG

Libyan Navy & Coast Guards

Libyan maritime authority, responsible for the Libyan SAR Service accordi...

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ITCG

Italian Coast Guards :

Italian maritime authority, responsible for the Italian SAR Service

http://ww...

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JRCC

Joint Rescue Coordination Center

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Cable

cable: A cable length or length of cable is a nautical unit of measure equal to one tenth of a nauti...

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GISIS

Global Integrated Shipping Information System

https://gisis.imo.org

Website of the International Mar...

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Pilot

The vessel’s navigator. An especially knowledgeable person qualified to navigate a vessel through di...

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SOLAS

Safety Of Life At Sea

The SOLAS Convention in its successive forms is generally regarded as the most...

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GMDSS

Global Maritime Distress and Safety System:

A global communications service based upon automated sy...

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Radar

Detection system that uses radio waves to determine the range, angle, or velocity of objects. It can...

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knots

Nautical speed, in Nautical miles per hour. 1 Knot = 1,852 km/h.

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ECDIS

Electronic Chart Display and Information Systems :

Ships have long been required to carry nautical ...

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UNCLOS

= United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

The UNCLOS was adopted on 10th December ...

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Easy 1

One of the rescue RHIB onboard MV Ocean Viking with a capacity of 20 to 25 people, twin 115 horsepow...

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Easy 2

One of the rescue RHIB onboard Ocean Viking with a capacity of 15 to 20 people, 175 horsepower engin...

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Banana

Emergency floating device for critical rescue operation. The Banana is an inflatable tube of 16 mete...

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TNMRCC

Tunisian MRCC in Tunis

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SPMRCC

Spanish MRCC in Madrid

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MTJRCC

Maltese JRCC in Valetta

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LYJRCC

Libyan JRCC in Tripoli

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ITMRCC

Italian Rescue Coordination Center (MRCC Rome)

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SITREP

Situation Report :

It gives information about on-scene mission progress and conditions. SITREPs are ...

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NAVTEX

NAVTEX provides shipping with navigational and meteorological warnings, meteorological forecasts and...

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Target

Object in the water surface or in the radar screen. Onboard the Ocean Viking, the SAR Team calls any...

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Course

Direction to where the ship goes to.

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IAMSAR

International Aeronautical and Maritime Search and Rescue :

IMO guidelines for a common aviation an...

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Bridge

Control room from where the ship and communications are managed.

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Anchor

An object designed to prevent or slow the drift of a ship, attached to the ship by a line or chain; ...

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medevac

Medical Evacuation: Life-saving technique based on timely transport and en route medical care of inj...

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Frontex

European Border and Coast Guard Agency. The aim of this EU agency is to “help EU countries and Schen...

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Colibri

Colibri is an airplane (MCR 4s) operated by the association Pilotes Volontaires. Its mission is to “...

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Shelter

Area at sea protected from the weather to leeward from the coast line

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Charter

Contract between the shipowner/shipmanager and the company in charge of the operations. SOS MEDITTER...

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Heading

Direction to where the ship heads to.

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Beaufort

The Beaufort scale is a scale for measuring wind speed.

See below the scale.

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on-scene

at the site of an incident

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Baseline

Line from which is measured the extent of States’ maritime entitlements.

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Moonbird

Airplane conducting a civil aerial reconnaissance mission, run together by Sea-Watch and the Humanit...

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Resupply

Action to provide with a fresh supply of food and non-food items.

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SAR Case

Reference number of the SAR operation designated by the RCC in charge. There is one SAR Case number ...

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Inmarsat

A system of geostationary satellites for world-wide mobile communications services and which support...

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distress

A situation wherein there is reasonable certainty that a vessel or other craft, including an aircraf...

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rotation

The Ocean Viking makes regular stops in port to refuel, to change the crew, for the maintenance of t...

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SAR Team

Team composed by 9 professional seafarers and rescuers, part of SOS MEDITERRANEE. They are in charge...

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Underway

A ship is underway when she is in movement towards a direction/destination or drifting. A ship is no...

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Liferaft

A liferaft is a self- inflatable emergency evacuation device. It is usually used by ships in case th...

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latitude

Distance from the equator in degrees.

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Open Arms

MV Open Arms (IMO: 7325887, MMSI 224772000) of the Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms. Spanish flag. l...

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Paris MoU

The Paris Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Port State Control is the official document in which ...

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Bunkering

Bunkering is the supplying of fuel for use by ships

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high seas

Areas which are not subject to the sovereignty of any State.

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SAR State

State which is responsible for the search and rescue of persons using its services and equipment wit...

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survivors

Offical term to designate the people rescued from a distress situation.

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Sea state

General condition of the surface of the open sea. The state of the sea is described using the Dougla...

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Freeboard

Height between the water surface and the main deck of the ship.

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SafetyNET

Communications service provided via Inmarsat forpromulgation of MSI, including shore to ship relays ...

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longitude

Shortest distance from the Greenwich meridian in degrees.

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Main deck

Deck in the aft part of the ship, where are the reception facilities for survivors and where Easy 2 ...

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Alan Kurdi

MV Alan Kurdi (IMO: 5285667, MMSI: 211215130) of the German NGO Sea-Eye. German flag. Length 39m, wi...

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Channel 16

Marine VHF radio frequency designated as an international distress frequency.

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Flag state

The flag state of a merchant vessel is the jurisdiction under whose laws the vessel is registered or...

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Patrolling

Situation when the Ocean Viking is standing-by or/and moving at slow speed in an area where distress...

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evacuation

Situation where the SAR Team transfer people from the boat in distress, from the water or from the a...

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Provisions

Food and non-food items necessary for the crew to live in autonomy for several days and weeks onboar...

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lifejacket

Individual floating device which keep the body floating and the head out of the water. This can be a...

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Sea-Watch 3

MV Sea-Watch 3 (IMO: 7302225, MMSI: 211281610) of the German NGO Sea-Watch. German Flag. Length 50m,...

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Alarm Phone

Alarm Phone is part of Watch The Med project (http://www.watchthemed.net) and is an ‘alarm’ phone nu...

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Alert phase

A situation wherein apprehension exists as to the safety of an aircraft or marine vessel and of the ...

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rescue raft

Inflatable raft used by the SAR Team as emergency floating device during critical rescue operations.

...

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Port agency

Ships and the ship’s captain approach a port agency to make sure that proper mooring areas are allot...

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Main deck

Deck in the aft part of the ship, where the reception facilities for survivors are.

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EUNAVFOR MED

European military operation, also called “operation Sophia”, launched in May 2015 and deployed in th...

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Boat-landing

The boat landing is a special ladder surrounded by 2 pillars which allow the RHIB to transfer people...

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Coastal State

State that has sovereignty over specific territorial waters as well as sovereign rights in the conti...

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Transshipment

Operation of transferring people or material from a ship to another.

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SAR Convention

= International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue (SAR or Hamburg Convention)

It was adopted ...

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Bouri oilfield

The Bouri field lies in water depths between 145m and 183m, offshore the Libyan coast, in the Medite...

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Port Authority

A government body (city, county or state) which in international shipping maintains various airports...

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Nautical Miles

Nautical distance, 1 minute of latitude. 1 Nm = 1,852 km

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Contiguous zone

Area in which a coastal state may prevent and punish infringements of its laws and regulations with ...

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Emergency phase

A generic term meaning, as the case may be, uncertainty phase, alert phase or distress phase.

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place of safety

Location where rescue operations are considered to terminate. It is also a place where the survivors...

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critical rescue

Situation where the people in distress are in an unstable condition and the SAR Team has to deploy a...

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Global SAR Plan

A global SAR plan has been developed, defining detailed responsibilities for each member nation and ...

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Place of refuge

Place of refuge means a place where a ship in need of assistance can take action to enable it to sta...

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SAR Coordinator

Person in charge of the management of the mission for SOS MEDITERRANEE. This person is regularly on ...

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innocent passage

As indicated under article 19 of the Montego Bay Convention, a “passage is innocent so long as it is...

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SOLAS Convention

= International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS or London Convention)

This text was ...

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Operation Themis

Frontex (EU Border and Coast Guard Agency) operation launched in February 2018 to “assist Italy in b...

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Jasmund Shipping

Shipping company in charge of the management of Aquarius, including the certification of the ship, p...

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Uncertainty phase

A situation wherein doubt exists as to the safety of an aircraft or a marine vessel, and of the per...

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Port State Control

Port State Control (PSC) is an inspection regime for countries to inspect foreign-registered ships i...

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non-discrimination

Parties shall ensure that assistance be provided to any person in distress at sea. They shall do so ...

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Libyan Coast Guard

LNCG

Libyan maritime authority, responsible for the Libyan SAR Service according to the Global SAR P...

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Time charter party

A time charter – is a contract for the hire of a named vessel for a specified period of time. – may ...

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Search Action Plan

Message, normally developed by the SMC forpassing instructions to SAR facilities and agencies partic...

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Rescue Action Plan

A plan for rescue operations normally preparedby the SMC for implementation by OSC and facilities on...

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territorial waters

Belt of coastal waters extending at most 12 nautical miles from the baseline (usually the mean low-w...

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Circomare Lampedusa

“Circomare Guardia Costiera Lampedusa” is the Italian Coast Guard based in Lampedusa

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Project Coordinator

Person in charge of the management of the mission for MSF.

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International waters

Any body of water situated beyond 12 nautical miles from the baseline – outside the territorial wate...

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Operation Mare Sicuro

Aerial maritime operation launched in March 2015 by Italy’s Ministry of Defense, to “ensure maritime...

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transfer / transhipment

Transfer of rescued people between two ships. This can be done by RIBs, or alongside.

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Communication Officer

The person in charge of communication onboard the Ocean Viking serves a crucial role in managing med...

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Offshore Supply Vessel

OSV

These are cargo vessels that regularly transport goods, supplies or equipment in support of expl...

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Deputy SAR Coordinator

Person in charge of the management of the SAR Team of SOS MEDITERRANEE. This person manages the trai...

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Expanding square search

A search pattern used when the last known position of a search object has a high degree of accuracy,...

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Search and Rescue Region

An area of defined dimensions, associated with aRCC, within which SAR services are provided.

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Research & Evidence Officer

Person in charge of the collection, treatment, archiving and publication of all the information rela...

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Exclusive Economic Zone (EZZ)

Area where the coastal State has exclusive rights over the natural resources. However the State must...

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Paris Memorandum of Understanding

The Paris Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Port State Control is the official document in which ...

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