In April 2023, the NGO SOS Humanity departed on a search and rescue operation in Mediterranean Sea.

On the night of April 19th, the SOS Humanity crew rescued 69 people in international waters off the coast of Libya. Weather conditions were adverse, with waves of nearly 3 meters and 7-knot winds.
 

The adverse weather lasted for the next days and, despite this and the presence of 20 minors and other vulnerable people on board, the Italian government assigned the port of Ravenna as port of disembarkation, forcing SOS Humanity 1 to sail for 5 days. On April 25th, the survivors were disembarked in the port of Ravenna and thus SOS Humanity completed its search and rescue mission.

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However, the sailing time and costs incurred to reach such a distant port of disembarkation prevented SOS Humanity 1 from returning to SAR waters to perform further rescues, highlighting the Italian government’s intent to hinder NGO actions in the Mediterranean Sea.