Dear friends of Sea-Eye,

The time has come: Today the SEA-EYE 5 left the port of Licata in Sicily and started its first mission in the Mediterranean Sea! A bittersweet moment of joy for us.

30,000 dead and missing in the Mediterranean: this is the result of Europe's border policies over the past decade. In remembrance of all those who have lost their lives or are considered missing on the world's deadliest migration route since 2014, I laid wreaths in the sea with the crew and held a minute's silence before the all-weather lifeboat departed.

When all the wreaths had been handed over to the open sea, everything around me fell silent and I thought: How much unimaginable suffering this number represents: 30,000 people who have lost their lives here in search of safety. Entire families have seen no other way out than to attempt to flee across the Mediterranean.

We will continue to fight for every human life on the world's deadliest migration route. And from now on, we will do so even more effectively, as our all-weather lifeboat enables us to respond even faster to emergencies at sea.

We owe it to our donors and all the helping hands in the shipyard that our new all-weather lifeboat was ready for action so quickly. Support us now so that the SEA-EYE 5 can save even more lives and become a Ship Sponsor today!

Best wishes
Leonard Müller
- Communications Officer