Dear supporters, the first deployment crew has now arrived back in our home port on Licata. Behind the six activists lie two stirring experiences that underline the fact that we are needed in the Mediterranean. On March 12, we received our first distress call and immediately set out to search for the ship in distress. The following day, the crew of the TROTAMAR III were able to stabilize around 100 people on an unseaworthy, completely overloaded boat by handing out life jackets. After a few hours, the civilian rescue ship OCEAN VIKING from the NGO SOS Méditerranée reached the scene and took the people on board.
Just one day later, the crew of the TROTAMAR III found another boat in distress, drifting in the Mediterranean with many people on board and unable to maneuver. Life jackets were immediately issued to stabilize the situation. It was a rubber dinghy with more than 50 people, including 4 small children, on board. For hours, we made emergency calls to the relevant authorities and demanded their rescue – without any helpful response. It got dark and the situation remained unclear. Late in the evening, an Italian coastguard vessel suddenly appeared and took the people on board.
This first mission of a total of nine planned this year is now coming to an end. The crew was able to help numerous refugees on two boats in distress despite our limited resources. We are very grateful for all the support we have received over the last few weeks.
In just under two weeks, the TROTAMAR III will set sail again to support civilian sea rescue operations in the Mediterranean. We are sailing for freedom of movement for all, against Fortress Europe. Our missions are financed by donations. Each mission costs us around 12,000 euros.
Can you help make the next mission possible?
TROTAMAR III – 41 PEOPLE ON BOARD
Yesterday morning at around 10 a.m., the Trotamar III found an overcrowded boat in distress. The crew distributed life jackets to the 41 people, including three children. The wooden boat’s engine had failed, causing it to drift in the increasingly high waves.Due to the dangerous situation, the crew decided to take the people on board.…
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Trotamar III – 35 people rescued
Yesterday, the Trotamar III took 35 people on board and brought them safely to Lampedusa.Since the morning hours, our sailing ship had been accompanying the fiberglass boat, whose engine had failed. Because wind and waves were getting stronger, the crew decided to take the people on board in the afternoon. The Trotamar III then set…
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TROTAMAR III – 35 PEOPLE IN DISTRESS
Late yesterday evening, the Trotamar III left Lampedusa and sailed out towards the Search and Rescue zones in the central Mediterranean Sea. During the night, the crew received the first distress call via @alarmphone and set course for the last known position of the migrant vessel.This morning, the Trotamar III reached the boat with 35…
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TROTAMAR III – ARRIVING TO LAMPEDUSA
Yesterday the Trotamar III arrived on Lampedusa. The crew is now preparing to sail out to the central Mediterranean Sea. The life jackets have to be sorted and stowed away and the food supplies on board have to be replenished. The crew members have also inflated the centifloats and attached them to the rail guard.…
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TROTAMAR III – CREW DEPLOYMENT 7/24
Our new crew has arrived in Licata and is already preparing intensively for the upcoming deployment. Together with Matthias from the CompassCollective Clara, Helena, Johannes, Rosy and Till will be supporting the civilian sea rescue in the central Mediterranean Sea over the next few weeks.The crew has already completed a dinghy training in the harbor…
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One year of deployments
Exactly one year ago, we launched the first deployment of the Trotamar III in Licata. A lot has happened since then: In 8 deployments, we have sailed out into the central Mediterranean Sea and have supported hundreds of people on refugee boats. We have taken a total of 165 people on board the Trotamar III…
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TROTAMAR III – 50 PEOPLE RESCUED
This afternoon, the Trotamar III and the Aurora from @seawatchcrew rescued a total of 122 people. 50 people are now on board the Trotamar III, 72 people on board the Aurora.The people were traveling in an unseaworthy double-deck wooden boat, without water, food, life jackets or enough fuel to reach a safe port. The crews…
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TROTAMAR III – STARTING A NEW DEPLOYMENT
Our new crew has arrived in Licata on July 13th. Adam, Astrid, Tabea, Theresa and Teun will join skipper Matthias on the Trotamar III for the fifth mission in 2024 and support the civilian sea rescue in the Mediterranean Sea during the upcoming weeks.The crew has already started to prepare on the ship and completed…
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The crew of the Trotamar III rescued 65 people in distress at sea.
From the early hours of the morning on June 21st 2024, the crew assisted a rubber boat in distress and provided the people with life jackets. However, the responsible coordination centers for sea rescue did not respond to the distress call that the crew had made after sighting the boat.When the so-called Libyan Coast Guard…
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TROTAMAR III – looking for distress case
Today, the crew of the TROATAMAR III was searching for a boat drifting in Tunisian territorial waters. The boat seems to have started in Sfax on June 10th and has been drifting off the coast of Tunisia without water or food ever since. Out of desperation, the people on board have apparently started drinking sea…
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