Yesterday afternoon at 2.55 pm the Mare Jonio, the ship of Mediterranea Saving Humans and the only one in the Civil Fleet flying the Italian flag, set sail from the port of Trapani towards Lampedusa for its Mission19 in the Central Mediterranean Sea.

This is an unexpected departure after a surprise extraordinary inspection, ordered without justification by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport on 17th September, ended with the order to disembark the rescue equipment located on deck at the stern of the ship.

‘We have complied with the authorities requirement by unloading the required material, - explains Sheila Melosu, mission leader on board the ship - so that we can still leave and return to where the Mare Jonio's presence can make a difference. We are ready in any case to respond to dangerous situations, to assist people in distress and to come to the rescue if necessary.

It is people who save people, human beings who rescue other human beings, obeying the law of the sea and international law, not the equipment we have been forced to disembark.’

This mission is made possible by the support of Flai CGIL, the confederal trade union that is particularly active in the fight against “caporalato” and exploitation in agriculture.’

Mission number 19 of the Mare Jonio ship is dedicated to the memory of Giacomo Gobbato, an activist from the Rivolta social centre who was stabbed to death while trying to defend a woman who was being robbed on 20th September in Mestre: ‘With Jack. We will never look the other way' is now written on the side of the Mediterranea Saving Humans ship.

Read here the full statement