Aquarius Dignitus
This article needs to be updated.(May 2023) |
Aquarius in 2012
| |
History | |
---|---|
Germany | |
Name | Meerkatze[1] |
Operator | German Coast Guard |
Ordered | 30 December 1975 |
Builder | Lürssen |
Launched | 19 November 1976 |
Commissioned | 9 December 1977 |
Fate | Transferred to NGO SOS Méditerranée |
Gibraltar[2] | |
Name | Aquarius |
Acquired | 1 May 2009 |
Panama | |
Name | Aquarius 2 |
Operator | NGO SOS Méditerranée |
Acquired | 1 September 2018 |
Identification |
|
Germany | |
Name | Aquarius 2 |
Operator | NGO SOS Méditerranée |
Acquired | 1 September 2018 |
Identification |
|
Liberia | |
Name | Aquarius Dignitus |
Operator | Jasmund Shipping GmbH & Co. KG |
Acquired | 1 November 2018 |
Identification |
|
Russia | |
Name | Aquarius |
Identification |
|
General characteristics | |
Tonnage | |
Length | 252.6 feet |
Beam | 38.5 feet |
Draught | 19.0 feet max. |
Installed power | Diesel-electric |
Propulsion | 2x Siemens AG Dynamowerk IP 4330-2 DM 04 |
Speed | 15 knots |
The MV Aquarius, formerly Aquarius Dignitus and Aquarius 2 , is a 1977-built dual-flagged
The vessel is a converted German coast-guard and fishery protection vessel (then named Meerkatze, built in 1977). The ship has a registered capacity to accommodate 25 crew members and usually carries 4 journalists and can carry up to 300 rescued migrants.[8][9] All of the refugees sleep on the deck, as the vessel does not have beds, cabins or accommodation for refugees.[10] In November 2018, The Guardian reported that her flag had been revoked by Panama and Liberia, and there was a search for a prospective flag to register under.[11]
History
Completed by
The ship was classified by
On 1 September 2018, the vessel's operators changed the ship's name from Aquarius to Aquarius 2 and changed its vessel type from "research vessel" to "search and rescue vessel".[4]
The ship has been operated and managed by Jasmund shipping GmBH since June 2017, and after a brief interval again since 11 September 2018. Prior to this, the ship was managed by Hempel shipping (2009–2017). The ship has been owned by Aquarius GmBH & Co KG since April 2009.[4] On 16 August 2018, the ship was inspected by the Port state control (Pais MoU) at Valletta (Malta) and five deficiencies were found related to the crew certificates, oil record book and blocked routes of escape.[12]
Operations in Mediterranean Sea
In February 2016 the ship was chartered by humanitarian NGO SOS Méditerranée, to provide open sea rescue and support to migrants crossing the
In June 2018 the ship, carrying 629 migrants from Sudan and Bangladesh saved from the sea, was denied entry to Italy by its new Interior Minister Matteo Salvini and to Malta as well.[16][17] The Government of Spain offered the ship the chance to dock in the port of Valencia, Spain, and the Italian Navy offered full assistance and a marine escort for the trip.[18][19] Aquarius and its migrants arrived at the Port of Valencia on 17 June.[20][21] Half of them opted to claim asylum in France,[22] insofar as France opened the doors to anyone from the Aquarius.[23][24] In August 2018, Spain refused entry to the vessel carrying 141 migrants from Eritrea and Somalia as Spain is not the closest safe port, as stipulated by international law.[25] They were distributed among France, Germany, Luxembourg, Portugal and Spain.[26]
On 20 September 2018 the Aquarius picked up ten Pakistanis and a person from the Ivory Coast from a dinghy 28 nautical miles (52 km; 32 mi) from the Libyan coast and 120 miles (190 km) from the closest European shore, the Italian island Lampedusa.[27] The same day the Aquarius asked Italy and Malta permission to disembark the eleven migrants and both countries refused.[27] The migrants were handed over to a coastguard vessel off Malta on 29 September 2018, after European governments had agreed to take the people in. The Aquarius 2 returned to Marseille.[28] In the autumn of 2018, the ship was repeatedly denied entry by Italy was instead forced to land in Malta and Spain. Italy had seen more than 700,000 migrants arrive on its shores in the 2013–2018 period.[26] In December 2018, MSF and SOS Méditerranée announced that they had ceased their operations with the ship due repeated accusations of trafficking in waste and criminal activity, but affirmed their determination to "resume our activities".[26]
Flag
The vessel was flagged under the
In September 2018, the vessel continued to be classed with Germanischer Lloyd and registered with Gibraltar flag as a research / survey vessel.[32] This led to issues with authorities, as a research and survey vessel cannot operate as a passenger vessel unless it reflects these changes in its registry documents. After the ship returned to Marseille in early October 2018 the owner issued a statement about negotiating to obtain a new flag from Switzerland, Luxembourg or Venezuela.[28] As per Equasis and IHS maritime, on 1 September 2018, the ship changed its name to Aquarius 2 and changed its flag to Germany.[4] As per Equasis and IHS maritime, on 1 November 2018, the ship changed its name to Aquarius Dignitus and changed its flag to Liberia.[4][33]
References
- ^ "Official website - SOS Mediterranea". www.sosmediterranee.com/. SOS Mediterranea. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
- ^ "UNHCR welcomes Aquarius resolution, but stresses need for more predictable approach to disembarkation". www.unhcr.org/news. UN High commission on refugees. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
- ^ "Vessel particulars - MV Aquarius". www.marinetraffic.com. Marine traffic. Archived from the original on 25 September 2018. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
- ^ a b c d e "Vessel information - Aquarius (membership required - free membership)". www.equasis.org. Equasis. Retrieved 6 November 2018.
- ^ "Vessel information - MV Aquarius 2". Equasis official website. Equasis - Worldwide database of ships. Retrieved 6 November 2018.
- ^ "Ship particulars - MV Aquarius". www.shipspotting.com. Ship spotting. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
- ^ "Aquarius allowed entry into Malta". BBC. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
- ^ "Our ship: the MS Aquarius". SOS Méditerranée. Archived from the original on 21 September 2016.
- ^ "Mediterranean: 99 survivors rescued from sinking dinghy but many presumed drowned". www.msf.org. 28 January 2018.
- ^ "On board a refugee ship - video". MSN. Newsweek. 15 August 2018. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
- ^ Kelly, Annie (2 November 2018). "'Race against time': flag revoked for Aquarius migrant rescue ship". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
- ^ "Ship inspection details - Aquarius 2". www.equasis.org. Equasis. Retrieved 6 November 2018.
- ^ "Refugees: what is your nationality when you are born at sea?". Euronews. May 27, 2016.
- ISBN 9781537716640
- ISBN 8823814626... un medico tedesco con l'obiettivo specifico di salvare migranti e rifugiati a bordo della nave Aquarius MS, trasformata da peschereccio mercantile a struttura di soccorso, ha intensificato le sue operazioni. Insieme a un team di Médecins du Monde, sostituito il 2 maggio 2016 da MSF, l'Aquarius, ad oggi, ha salvato più di 2000 persone (Fig. 5.4). Figura 5.4. Numero di persone salvate da operazioni condotte da. 105 Società civile e migranti nel Mediterraneo. via www.amazon.it
- ^ "Italy shuts ports to migrant rescue ship". BBC News. 11 June 2018.
- ^ "Spain offers to take in Aquarius ship carrying over 600 refugees". www.aljazeera.com.
- ^ "Boat with over 600 rescued migrants stranded in Mediterranean amid Italy-Malta standoff". 12 June 2018. Archived from the original on 2018-06-12. Retrieved 2018-06-12 – via Japan Times Online.
- ^ "Spain will accept migrant ship Aquarius after Italy and Malta refuse entry - DW - 11.06.2018". DW.COM.
- ^ "Spain Welcomes First Boat Carrying Aquarius Migrants". Headlines Today. Archived from the original on 17 June 2018. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
- ^ "Spain welcomes disputed Aquarius migrants". BBC. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
- ^ Julien Duriez (18 June 2018). "Half of the migrants of the Aquarius claim asylum in France". La Croix. Retrieved 18 June 2018.
- ^ "France will welcome the migrants of the " Aquarius ", Spain announces". Le Monde (in French). 16 June 2018. Retrieved 18 June 2018.
- ^ JAVIER CASQUEIRO (16 June 2018). "Francia offers asylum to the migrants of the 'Aquarius' wishing to go to that country". El País. Retrieved 18 June 2018.
- ISSN 1134-6582. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
- ^ a b c "Aquarius ship to end migrant rescues, say MSF and SOS Méditerranée". France 24. 2018-12-06. Retrieved 2018-12-08.
- ^ a b c "Pourquoi le Panama veut retirer son pavillon à l'" Aquarius "". LeMonde (in French). 2018-09-22. Retrieved 2018-09-22.
- ^ a b "Seenotretter sprechen von "Schikanen und Rechtsbrüchen"". Sueddeutsche Zeitung (in German). 2018-08-10. Retrieved 2018-10-08.
- ^ "Migrant rescue ship Aquarius to be stripped of Gibraltar registration". radioexe.co.uk. 13 August 2018.Archived 2018-08-14 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ "Keine Vatikan-Flagge für Mittelmeer-Rettungsschiff". Vatican News (in German). 2018-09-28. Retrieved 2018-10-04.
- ^ "Migrant rescue ship Aquarius getting Panama flag". Times of Malta. 2018-08-28. Retrieved 2018-08-29.
- ^ "Rescue ship returns to Libyan coast". DW. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
- ^ "AQUARIUS DIGNITUS IMO number: 7600574". vesselregister.dnvgl.com. Retrieved 30 April 2021.[permanent dead link]