Casarini: 'Don't worry, we'll be back at sea soon'.

Yesterday, the MARE JONIO, the only civil rescue ship flying the Italian flag, underwent three scheduled inspections for the renewal of its certification. To these was added a fourth inspection classified as "occasional". That is to say, an extraordinary inspection, neither due nor justified, carried out by the General Command of the Port Authorities on the orders of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, headed by Matteo Salvini. After ten and a half hours of inspection, we were ordered to 'immediately disembark all rescue equipment stowed on deck, under penalty of forfeiture of the certificate of adequacy', i.e. we were ordered to disembark rescue dinghies, infirmary, containers, chemical toilets and showers intended for assisting people rescued at sea. In the meantime, the ship is not allowed to sail and if we do not disembark the rescue equipment, our certificate to sail will be permanently withdrawn.

MEDITERRANEA took stock of the situation at a press conference held on board the MARE JONIO: "For the first time in history," commented head of the mission Luca Casarinispeaking from the bridge, "a ship is being ordered to remove life-saving equipment instead of adding to it. If we do not obey, they will take away our ability to sail. This is an illegitimate measure because, as established by international and national maritime law, rescue at sea is an obligation, not only for rescue ships, but for any ship that has information about lives in danger at sea.

“Behind this measure", says Laura Marmorale, President of MEDITERRANEA Saving Humans, "there is a plan to criminalise people on the move and solidarity. That is why, when the next shipwreck occurs, we will not remain silent in the face of the theatrics of ministers and heads of government, who pretend to care and hypocritically proclaim the umpteenth 'never again'. They will not stop us, we will continue to fight so that it really is 'never again'.

“We are surprised," continues Casarini, "that this occasional inspection is taking place in the middle of Salvini's trial for the Open Arms case. Since we are 'occasionally' one of the civil parties in the trial, we have already taken steps to report this strange coincidence to our legal counsel, so that the Court of Palermo is also informed.

Alessandro Metz, social shipowner of MARE JONIO, said: 'We started our mission on 3 October 2018, when the government was enforcing and bragging about its policy of 'closed ports' and railing against 'sea taxis'. For six years they have tried to stop us with criminal investigations, administrative measures and many other ways, but we will continue to rescue, to be where we need to be until people can reach Europe in a safe and legal way.

Head of mission Casarini concludes, addressing the Minister of Infrastructure and Transport directly: 'Salvini can rest assured, since the dawn of time there has always been someone to rescue people in danger at sea and there always will be. Because that is the law of the sea, and the law of humanity. That is why we will soon return to sea”.

Trapani, 18 sSeptember 2024