German helpers in the Mediterranean: "Without the churches, we could not save"

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As the only private ship, the German "Alan Kurdi" currently helps shipwrecked refugees. Off the Libyan coast, the crew has been able to rescue 64 people, but is not allowed to call at any Italian or Maltese port. Above all, Italy's Interior Minister Matteo Salvini makes mood against the German maritime rescuers. His comment: "Let her go to Hamburg."

In an interview, Sea-Eye board member Gorden Isler talks about the situation on board, the cooperation with the Libyan Coast Guard, and explains why his organization suddenly has problems financing the missions.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Mr. Isler, what is the situation on board?

Gorden Isler: Bad. People are freezing, their clothes are soaked. Many are seasick. In the past few days we had two medical emergencies: A young woman from Nigeria suffered from impaired consciousness, her circulation collapsed. Another pregnant Nigerian had an epileptic seizure. The Maltese army had to evacuate both women.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Among the rescued are two families with small children. Italy had offered to land the children and mothers in Italy. The men should have stayed on board. How did you react?

Isler: There is no plausible reason to separate the families. If the women and men had applied for asylum in different countries, the families would probably have been separated for a long time. After all, we asked the families themselves. And they decided very quickly that they wanted to stay on board together. It was a difficult situation.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: At the end of March, the European Union ended the naval mission off the Libyan coast. What does that mean for Sea-Eye?

Isler: There is no one left to help us. Especially when we save a big boat with many people, it gets tight. Whether refugees who go on the boats of the tugs, live or die, is now finally a matter of luck. During the current mission, we heard emergency calls from a boat that was never found. And people will continue to flee the Libyan torture camps - even if the EU ships are no longer there. Now, fighting is still going on near Tripoli.

The night on the #AlanKurdi. @JosephMuscat_JM please help the 62 rescued people. # SaveLives pic.twitter.com/RLhZt2IXuL

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Are no other private distress rescuers on site?

Isler: No, at the moment we are the only ones in the Mediterranean. The "Mare Jonio" could possibly expire soon after Italian authorities first seized the vessel in mid-March. The operational area is just too big for a ship. In addition: Nine out of ten maritime rescue cases that have come to our aid over the past few years have been reported to us from Rome. We will not receive these messages anymore.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Why not?

Isler: We were completely cut off from the communication between the rescue centers. Even the Italians and Maltese no longer inform us about distress. Over the radio, we have heard of an emergency and offered our help - but no one has told us where the shipwrecked are.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: An oversight or intention?

Isler: It was a conscious decision not to share this information. In recent months, port authorities have not landed the ships of private distress rescuers. This is the next step to further isolate ourselves and seal off Europe.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: The Libyan rescue center in Tripoli is now officially coordinating the rescue operations. How is the collaboration going?

Isler: It feels like the Libyan Coast Guard does not exist. Every morning we wrote an e-mail with our position and the planned route. There was no answer. Even in an emergency, when we had saved people and asked for instructions - no answer. We have eight phone numbers from the Libyan Coast Guard. But in the past few days nobody has answered the phone.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: For some you are the traffickers, for others the humanitarian helpers. How has the debate in recent months affected the work of Sea-Eye?

Isler: We get a lot of hate-filled emails. And fewer people donate.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: How much less is donated?

Isler: The Christmas season was still neat. After that, the decline was massive. I would estimate that the number of our donors has decreased by about 80 percent.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: What are you talking about?

Isler: There is a narrative, it is part of a poisoned discourse: Ships are blocked, against refugee rescuers is determined, we are not allowed in the ports. There's something negative about it, like we're doing something illegal.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: So you make statements and actions like those of Salvini for the few donations?

Isler: Of course. If we're getting messed up, you do not have to be surprised if something gets stuck. Why should ordinary citizens assume that a minister is lying? But it is also a problem that the German Foreign Minister or the Chancellor does not interfere and defend us. That would help.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Are fewer volunteers reporting to the missions?

Isler: Unfortunately yes. But that's largely because the rides have become so unpredictable. When we leave, we no longer know which port our ship is running. We do not even know when we will return. I talk to a lot of working people who want to leave with us on their vacation but can not plan the mission properly. So far we have not known such problems. So far, we have still found enough people after a long search. But as soon as that is no longer the case, we have to run out less often.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Do other private maritime rescue organizations have similar problems?

Isler: If we do not have enough volunteers, we ask the other private distress rescuers. Even organizations like Sea-Watch report that they are finding fewer volunteers.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Can Sea-Eye offset the decline in donation readiness or are the rescue missions about to go out?

Isler: We know bad phases. When Thomas de Maizière once accused us of cooperating with smugglers, we did not receive any donations for weeks. At the moment we can compensate the missing donations very well by a few large donors. However, if Cardinal Marx had not recently donated us 50,000 euros, we would not have been able to leave. Without the churches we could not save.

This article is part of the project Global Society, for which our reporters report from four continents. The project will be supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for three years.

What is the project Global Society?

Under the title Global Society, reporters from Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe will be reporting on injustices in a globalized world, socio-political challenges and sustainable development. The reportages, analyzes, photo galleries, videos and podcasts appear in the Politics Department of SPIEGEL. The project is long-term and will be supported over three years by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF).

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SPIEGEL ONLINE has already implemented two projects in recent years with the European Journalism Center (EJC) and the support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation: The "Expedition The Day After tomorrow" on Global Sustainability Goals and the journalistic refugee project "The New Arrivals" Several award-winning multimedia reports on the topics of migration and escape have emerged.

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