deployment 3/24 begins … with an unplanned repair

Our third deployment in 2024 has begun. The crew of six volunteer activists under skipper Matthias has arrived in Licata (Sicily), our ship’s home port. Training with the dinghy in the Licata harbor basin began today and rescue situations are being simulated. In our small house at the foot of Castel Sant’Angelo, we talk about the challenges that await us. Unfortunately, technical problems with the propulsion system forced us into the boatyard at short notice.

Today, the crew of our deployment #3/24 started training in the harbor basin of Licata. With a second inflatable boat, which the sea rescue NGOs in Licata have procured together, we are practising rescue situations that we expect to encounter on the escape route in the Mediterranean. This involves initial communication with people or handing over life jackets until a person is rescued from the water. Our aim is to use the resources on board to stabilize the people on the unseaworthy boats until support arrives from the Italian Coast Guard or a larger rescue ship. In an emergency, we take the people on board the TROTAMAR III.

We will soon be setting off on our third mission this year at the EU’s external borders. We are supporting civilian sea rescue operations in the Mediterranean with our 13m sailing ship. We have enough rescue equipment on board to stabilize up to 200 people. We want to save people fleeing across the Mediterranean from death by drowning or dying of thirst and alleviate their immediate suffering. We document human rights violations and draw attention to the fate of refugees and the humanitarian catastrophe in the Mediterranean.

Because no human being is illegal.

Back in Licata

15 December, 2025

The Trotamar III is back in Licata!After a short but eventful passage to the Search and Rescue area, our crew has returned to Sicily. Last week, we were able to…

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19 people rescued

10 December, 2025

No sooner has our crew arrived in the search and rescue zones than everything happens very quickly: from the deck of the Trotamar III, we spot a boat on the…

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Sailing south

10 December, 2025

We are sailing to the Search and Rescue Zones!After a long wait for a weather window and lots of training, our crew was able to leave Licata and is now…

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Trainings in Licata

4 December, 2025

Training, training, training: In Licata, our crew is busy preparing for the upcoming deployment. This includes dinghy training in the harbour basin of our home port Licata, but also offshore…

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New crew

2 December, 2025

Our new crew has arrived in Licata. Andi, Leara, Stephi, Thorsten, and Toni will join skipper Matthias on our last deployment in 2025.The preparations are the same as for our…

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53 people rescued

9 November, 2025

After waiting for a day and a half and dozens of emails and phone calls later, the good news finally arrvied yesterday: we were allowed to take the 53 people…

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53 people stranded near oilplatform

6 November, 2025

At 6 am this morning, the crew of the Trotamar III received an unusual call via radio: the managers of the Miskar oil platform informed us that 53 people on…

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16 people rescued

2 November, 2025

On Saturday evening, we came across a boat in distress in the dark and took 16 people on board, including many minors. On board the Trotamar III, everyone was provided…

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70 people rescued

26 October, 2025

Yesterday, our crew encountered a distress case: around 70 people on a small, overcrowded fibreglass boat. With the dinghy, the crew immediately distributed life vests to everyone.Over the next few…

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Leaving Licata

21 October, 2025

After almost a week of intensive training and preparations, our crew left the port of Licata this morning. The Trotamar III is now heading for Lampedusa – the last spot…

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