Life Support (ship) is a converted offshore supply vessel operated by the Italian NGO Emergency for Search and rescue of refugees and migrants in the Mediterranean. [1] [2] The ship has been active in this role since December 2022. [3] It has a crew of 28, and can carry up to 175 rescued passengers. [2] On its first mission, it rescued 142 people. [1]
The ship sails under the Flag of Panama. [4] It is 51m [4] (52m [5] according to other sources) in length and has a beam of 12m. [5]
The ship was formerly called Sanco Chaser, and was built in 2002 [5] for the Norwegian company Sanco. [4]
On 4 November, Life Support disembarked 72 rescued people at the port of Livorno, bringing the total number rescued since December 2022 to 2,293. [6]