The group Doctors Without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontieres or MSF) is reporting that it won a significant victory from the Italian courts in Salerno releasing its rescue vessel Geo Barents from its latest government detention order. NGOs operating rescue vessels like the Geo Barents have been fighting with the Italian government over regulations that they argue are designed to hamper their rescue efforts focusing on the small boats attempting to cross the Mediterranean mostly from Libya.
The Geo Barents was facing its third detention order since the new rules went into effect early in 2023. According to MSF, the Italian government has issued 23 detention orders on the rescue vessels since the decree was issued approximately 20 months ago. This latest detention was for 60 days making it the longest of the orders the Geo Barents had faced.
The detention order was issued on August 26 with the Italian authorities alleged the vessel had violated maritime safety regulations. The groups are required under the decree to report their activity to the Italian authorities and request a port of landing from the Italian Coast Guard. They allege that Italy is purposefully directing the vessels to more distant ports to delay the efforts.
Built in 2007 for offshore operations, the vessel was converted and began sailing for the charity in 2021 with reports the 5,000-ton ship is certified for up to 300 people. The ship was detained in July 2021, less than three months after it went into service after a Port State inspection found 22 deficiencies. It was also given a 20-day detention order in March 2024 for allegedly failing to comply with instructions from the Libyan Coast Guard.
During the latest incident, MSF says the vessel conducted five rescues on August 23. The Italian authorities accused them of not “providing timely information.”
“We strongly refute these allegations,” Juan Matias Gil, MSF search and rescue representative said when the order was issued. The group said it was calling on the Italian authorities “to immediately release the Geo Barents.”
Rescue mission in the Mediterranean (Stefan Pejovic photo courtesy of MSF)
According to its explanation, in the middle of the night, the crew came across a small fiberglass boat and saw people jumping, falling, or being pushed into the sea. The rescue team they assert had to act immediately to stabilize the situation and rescue the people from the Mediterranean. MSF believes the people were in imminent danger of drowning or getting lost in the darkness.
MSF placed an appeal with the Italian courts for the lifting of the detention. Today, the group posted online a message reading, “The ship is free to rescue lives!” It reported the court suspended the detention order.
The Italian government however cites a drop in the number of arrivals and reports of people drowning to validate its decree while saying it will expand the effort. They want to stop the departures from Africa.
Italy reports arrivals by sea in 2024 are down 62 percent but that still equates to about 44,500 people in the first eight months of the year. They also contend that reports of drownings have been cut in half, while the charities point out that around 1,100 people are known to have drowned or gone missing this year.
MSF highlights that it has been active in search and rescue since 2015 working independently or in partnership for a total of eight vessels. The report in the 10 years they have rescued more than 91,000 people. The Geo Barents alone they report has rescued more than 12,300 people. They report the recovery of 24 bodies, arranging for four people to be four medical evacuated and assisting in the delivery of one baby.
