 Open Arms in Pozzallo, Italy | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Spain | |
| Name | Open Arms |
| General characteristics | |
| Length | 36.9 m [1] |
| Beam | 9.5 m [1] |
Open Arms is a Mediterranean rescue vessel operated by the Proactiva Open Arms NGO. Before 2018, it was named Ibaizabal Tres. [1] [2]
| Open Arms in Pozzallo, Italy | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Spain | |
| Name | Open Arms |
| General characteristics | |
| Length | 36.9 m [1] |
| Beam | 9.5 m [1] |
Open Arms is a Mediterranean rescue vessel operated by the Proactiva Open Arms NGO. Before 2018, it was named Ibaizabal Tres. [1] [2]
In November 2018, a joint campaign was launched by Proactive Open Arms, SOS Méditerranée and Sea-Watch, which used Open Arms, Mare Jonio and Sea-Watch 3 , along with the Moonbird aircraft, to continue with the rescue of refugees in the Mediterranean. This followed after a few weeks during which the states had prevented them from acting in various ways. [3]
In August 2019, while the boat was off Lampedusa and prevented from entering port for a period that eventually extended to 19 days, the actor Richard Gere arranged delivery of supplies and went aboard to distribute them to the refugees. [4]
During the course of 2019, the vessel rescued a total of 324 people from the sea.[ citation needed ]
In November 2020, Open Arms rescued 250 people in one week. [5]
On 5 October 2023, the ship was confiscated by Italian Authorities, after rescuing 176 people from three vessels in distress on 30 September 2023, in violation of rules demanding immediate return to port after each individual rescue. [6]
The ship began delivering food to the Gaza Strip in March 2024 via a maritime corridor negotiated by the Cypriot government. [7] [8] The loaded barge contained at once around 200 tons of food. [9] [10] [11] [12] [13]
Shayetet 13 is a unit of the Israeli Navy and one of the primary reconnaissance units of the Israel Defense Forces. Shayetet 13 specializes in sea-to-land incursions, counter-terrorism, sabotage, maritime intelligence gathering, maritime hostage rescue, and boarding. The unit is trained for sea, air and land actions. The unit has taken part in almost all of Israel's major wars, as well as other actions.
The Cyprus Port & Marine Police is the marine police and the civilian Coast Guard wing of the Cyprus Police. The coast guard are tasked with the primary mission of law enforcement of the waters around, and control of the sea borders of the Republic of Cyprus. Main roles are reported to include law enforcement of illicit activities such as smuggling, terrorism, piracy and illegal fishing. The Cyprus Port and Marine Police also serve a role as a search and rescue (SAR) force. This force is equipped with patrol boats and radars.
The Gaza Freedom Flotilla was a small fleet of ships organized in 2010 by the Free Gaza Movement and the Turkish Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief (İHH) carrying humanitarian aid and construction materials with the intention of breaking the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip. In typical circumstances, aid is first brought to Israel to be inspected and then transferred to Gaza.
The Victoria Affair was a military operation conducted by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in March 2011 in which the Israeli Navy intercepted the vessel Victoria on the international waters in the Mediterranean, and discovered concealed weapons which, according to the IDF, were destined for Palestinian militant organizations in the Gaza Strip. The vessel was found to be carrying approximately 50 tons of weapons, including C-704 anti-ship missiles, rocket launchers, radar systems, mortar shells and rifle ammunition.
The Cyprus Joint Rescue Coordination Center or JRCC Larnaca is an independent agency of the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Cyprus and its primary mission is to organize the national Search and Rescue (SAR) system, to co-ordinate, to control and direct SAR operations in the region that the Cyprus JRCC is responsible for, so that people, whose lives are at risk as a result of aviation or maritime accidents, can be located and rescued in the least amount of time.
The Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS) is an international humanitarian non-governmental organization based in Malta that provides aid and assistance to vulnerable communities worldwide. MOAS main focus is responding quickly and efficiently to emerging crises and make a difference in people's lives.
Proactiva Open Arms (POA) is a Spanish NGO devoted to search and rescue (SAR) at sea. Set up in October 2015, it carried out its first rescue action that same month from its base on the Greek island of Lesbos. As well as maintaining a permanent base on Lesbos, the NGO carries out its rescue operations from three ships, a sailing yacht Astral, the Golfo Azzurro and Open Arms.
The MV Aquarius, formerly Aquarius Dignitus and Aquarius 2, is a 1977-built dual-flagged search and rescue vessel, which has been used to rescue refugees and migrants stranded in the Mediterranean Sea since 2016. It has been chartered and operated since February 2016 by the NGOs SOS Méditerranée and Médecins Sans Frontières as a rescue vessel for migrants and refugees making the Mediterranean crossing in makeshift craft from Libya to Italy as part of the European migrant crisis.
SOS Méditerranée is a European, maritime-humanitarian organisation for the rescue of life at sea, currently operating in the Mediterranean sea in international waters north of Libya. The organization chartered the Aquarius and more recently the Ocean Viking in order to rescue people fleeing by sea from Libya and who risk drowning. The group was founded in June 2015 by German former captain Klaus Vogel and Frenchwoman Sophie Beau after the Italian navy ended the rescue Operation Mare Nostrum in 2014. Its headquarters are in Marseille (France), Milan (Italy), Frankfurt (Germany), Geneva (Switzerland).
Jugend Rettet is a non-governmental organization (NGO) from Berlin. Its goal is to save drowning persons at the Mediterranean Sea. Operations are conducted with the Iuventa, a ship that sails under Dutch flag. This ship was seized in August 2017 after suspicion of cooperation with migrant smugglers.
World Central Kitchen (WCK) is a not-for-profit, non-governmental organization that provides food relief. It was founded in 2010 by Spanish American chef and restaurateur José Andrés following the earthquake in Haiti, and has subsequently responded to Hurricane Harvey, the 2018 lower Puna eruption, 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, and the ongoing Gaza humanitarian crisis.
Nikos Christodoulides is a Cypriot politician, former diplomat and academic, and the 8th and current President of Cyprus. He previously served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2018 to 2022 and Spokesman of the Government from 2014 to 2018, under President Nicos Anastasiades.
RESQSHIP is a German charity based in Hamburg, with further branches in Freiburg, Mainz and Augsburg, founded in 2017.
VOS Prudence is a ship originally built as an offshore supply vessel for the shipping company Vroon Offshore Services.
Alan Kurdi, named after the drowned Syrian child of Kurdish origin, Alan Kurdi, is a ship which has been used since 2018 by the humanitarian organization Sea-Eye - under the German flag - and latterly the Italian humanitarian NGO, 'ResQ - People Saving People' for the rescue of migrants in the Mediterranean Sea. Before this, she was an oceanographic vessel operated by the Land of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, named Professor Albrecht Penck.
The VOS Hestia is a deep-sea tug which operates under the Italian flag. The ship was used as a rescue ship for the Berlin organisation Save the Children in the Mediterranean from 2016 to 2018 and rescued refugees fleeing by boat from distress at sea.
The Humanity 1 is a German Search and Rescue Ship. The former German research ship is owned by Sea-Watch e. V. who are using the ship for SAR operations of refugees in distress on the Mediterranean Sea. Previously, the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel (GEOMAR) operated the ship under the name of Poseidon, after the Greek god of the sea, with the State of Schleswig-Holstein as the owner. In January 2020 the ship was auctioned and bought by Sea-Watch e. V. and renamed Sea-Watch 4 on 20 February 2020.
During the Israel-Hamas war, significant issues arose with humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. Israel's initial blockade on Gaza prevented the entry of humanitarian aid for several weeks. As the war progressed, aid was allowed at limited quantities, with entities such as Oxfam, the European Union, United Kingdom, and United Nations stating that Israel deliberately blocked humanitarian aid. These limitations have contributed to a severe humanitarian crisis and famine. Israeli airstrikes and continued restrictions on aid entry led to widespread shortages of food and supplies. Humanitarian aid agencies warned of the dire humanitarian consequences of aid restrictions, particularly after major Western donors announced they would cease funding UNRWA, the major aid relief agency in Gaza.
The Gaza floating pier is a floating dock facility proposed by the U.S. Biden Administration immediately before the 2024 State of the Union Address.
 | This article about a specific civilian ship or boat is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |