Dear friends of Sea-Eye,

we are finally back in action! The SEA-EYE 4 has left the port of Burriana and is rushing into the operational area in rough seas.

The SEA-EYE 4 departed from Burriana on Wednesday afternoon for the sixth and final rescue mission in 2022. That this is not a matter of course was already painfully brought home to us this year when we had to cancel a mission due to lack of funding. All the more important that the SEA-EYE 4 is now on its way back to the area of operation – thanks to your support and through the support of such great partner organisations as the civilian sea rescue alliance United4Rescue. Since the alliance ship set off on its first rescue mission in May 2021, crews have saved more than 2,300 people from drowning.

For the SEA-EYE 4, this is the first mission since the change of government in Italy. Already in the first weeks of the extreme right-wing government under Giorgia Meloni, the situation for civil sea rescue organizations in the Mediterranean has rapidly escalated. Prime Minister Meloni, as well as other members of the cabinet, did not only radically ramp up rhetorically. In November, for example, the Minister of the Interior, Matteo Piantedosi, issued an illegal decree in an attempt to massively restrict the fundamental right to asylum and to deny refugees the right to apply for asylum on European soil, contrary to current law.

We want to oppose this inhuman policy with our common solidarity and our full commitment. BUT: How often the SEA-EYE 4 will be able to depart in 2023 is uncertain. This year we were able to record significantly fewer donations than in the same period last year – an existential threat for a purely donation-financed organisation like Sea-Eye. If this financial situation does not improve quickly, we will be able to do fewer missions next year. Even the first planned mission in the coming year is in serious jeopardy. The consequences would be fatal, after all, we have had to and have been able to rescue people from distress at sea in every mission so far.  

Therefore: Support us also for 2023 with your donation so that the next missions are also secured. Especially at Christmas, you can also give your donation to us as a gift to your loved ones. Working together to ensure that people seeking protection reach safety – we can't think of a more fitting gift for Christmas!

Yours, Joana Weinmann
- Communications & Fundraising