Amsterdam – Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) welcomes the ruling earlier this week by the court of Catania in Italy to dismiss allegations related to the management of onboard waste on the search and rescue vessel Aquarius. It operated in the central Mediterranean from 2016 to 2018.
 
After a long investigation and trial, the criminal court of Catania ascertained that all activities connected to the Aquarius, including port procedures and waste disposal, complied with regulations. These legal proceedings had a profound impact on the staff involved, and impacted lifesaving search and rescue operations at sea.

“It marks an important step away from the unfounded criminalisation of search and rescue efforts at sea,” he added. 

Over the course of this case, attacks against civilian search and rescue operations continued and escalated. MSF staff remain on trial in Catania over similar waste management allegations concerning another boat, the Vos Prudence. We are confident this decision will contribute to a positive outcome in the related case as well.
 
People continue to flee violence, exploitation, insecurity, and extreme hardship. Many still risk their lives attempting sea crossings in search of safety or asylum. In the central Mediterranean, MSF witnesses the humanitarian catastrophe caused by insufficient state-led search and rescue capacity, and harmful European migration policies. These failures leave people to die at sea or be forcibly returned to violence, arbitrary detention in inhumane conditions, and abuse.
 
Over the years, European states, Italy in particular, have intensified restrictive policies, administrative obstacles, vessel detentions, and legal actions targeting humanitarian organisations operating at sea. This has had devastating consequences for people who attempt to cross the Mediterranean Sea. 

The start of 2026 saw a dramatic increase in deaths and disappearances at sea, with at least 655 people reported dead or missing between January and February. This is more than double the number recorded during the same period in 2025. By the end of June 2026, over 1,400 people were feared dead or missing in the Mediterranean.^{1, 2}

We reiterate our call to Italian authorities and EU member states to stop obstructing civilian search and rescue operations. They must also guarantee timely disembarkation in safe ports, establish adequate EU-led search and rescue capacity, and place the protection of human life and dignity at the centre of migration policies.