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Desperate journeys: Lending a helping ship

A private initiative patrols the Mediterranean waters every day, rescuing stranded refugees.

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Sea Watch crew members patrol the rescue zone 24 miles off the Libyan coast [Amnon Gutman/Al Jazeera]
By Amnon Gutman
Published On 25 Aug 2016

More then 268,000 refugees have crossed the Mediterranean Sea this year with over 3,100 dying or missing, according to the latest numbers from the UN refugee agency.

The world currently faces its largest global displacement crisis since World War II. The European refugee crisis continues with rising numbers of people making the desperate journey to the European Union to seek asylum, both by sea and land.

The central Mediterranean route from North Africa to Italy is considered the most dangerous route with more than 23,000 people dying since 2000.

Sea-watch is a private initiative of several families from Germany who decided to help by sending a 30-metre ship, Sea Watch 2, to patrol the international waters off the Libyan coast and participate in the rescue of refugees who are trying to cross into Europe via the Mediterranean route. 

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Refugees were rescued by Sea Watch crew members after their rubber dinghy overturned spilling the passengers into the Mediterranean [Amnon Gutman/Al Jazeera]
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A refugee tries to stay afloat after falling from a rubber dinghy that overturned under the weight of its passengers. Seconds later he was rescued by Sea Watch [Amnon Gutman/Al Jazeera]
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Smoke rises from a burning rubber dinghy visible off the Italian coast. The Italian navy burns all rubber boats used to ferry refugees from the African coast, so they cannot be used again by people smugglers. [Amnon Gutman/Al Jazeera]
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Italian navy officers waiting on a speed boat to pick up refugees from the Sea Watch 2 in order to transfer them to a bigger Italian navy ship that will take the refugees to Italy. [Amnon Gutman/Al Jazeera]
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Women refugees Nigeria receive water from the Sea Watch crew after some fainted from heat while on the Sea Watch ship. [Amnon Gutman/Al Jazeera]
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A Nigerian refugee prays and thanks God for being rescued after being adrift on a rubber boat for many hours off the Libyan coast. [Amnon Gutman/Al Jazeera]
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Sea Watch crew members after pulling a Darfur refugee from a rubber boat. The man was suffering from hypothermia having left the Libyan coast in the early hours of the morning. [Amnon Gutman/Al Jazeera]
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A group of 120 refugees wait to receive life-jackets from the Sea Watch crew members before being transferred to a bigger ship headed to take them to Italy. [Amnon Gutman/Al Jazeera]
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A member of Sea Watch takes a short break after delivering life jackets to refugees. Four refugee boats were rescued by the Sea Watch that morning. [Amnon Gutman/Al Jazeera]
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An Italian coastguard aircraft, patrolling the 24-mile zone looks for refugee boats. [Amnon Gutman/Al Jazeera]
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Refugees from Sudan rest on board the Sea Watch 2 after being rescued off the Libyan coast. [Amnon Gutman/Al Jazeera]