SOS Humanity
German humanitarian nonprofit organizing civilian search-and-rescue missions in the central Mediterranean and advocating for the rights of people fleeing by sea.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
SOS Humanity is a German nonprofit, non-governmental organization focused on civilian search and rescue in the central Mediterranean. It was established in Berlin in 2015 as SOS Mediterranee Deutschland e.V., following the end of Italy’s Mare Nostrum rescue operation. The German association initially worked within the wider European SOS Méditerranée network, alongside partner organizations in France, Italy, and Switzerland. From 2016, the network operated the Aquarius, a former fisheries-protection vessel that had been used by the German coast guard, and later the Ocean Viking. The German association became independent from SOS Méditerranée at the end of 2021 so that it could operate its own rescue vessel and develop a separate organizational structure. Since 2022, the organization has operated the Humanity 1, formerly known as Sea-Watch 4. The vessel was prepared in Spain during the summer of 2022 and began its first mission under the Humanity 1 name in August of that year. A typical mission combines an international maritime crew with medical, communications, rescue, and humanitarian personnel. The organization searches for people in distress, provides immediate assistance, records information about rescue situations, and seeks a safe place of disembarkation. Its work is concentrated in the central Mediterranean, especially in areas affected by departures from Libya and other North African locations. SOS Humanity presents its activities as both emergency humanitarian assistance and a response to what it describes as the failure of European states to provide a reliable, state-coordinated rescue system. It argues that people rescued at sea should be taken promptly to a nearby place of safety and that Libya cannot serve as a safe place of disembarkation because of reported detention, abuse, trafficking, torture, and other human-rights violations. The organization also criticizes European cooperation with Libyan authorities and policies that it believes obstruct or delay civilian rescue operations. Beyond maritime operations, SOS Humanity conducts public education, documentation, advocacy, and legal or political initiatives. It seeks to draw attention to deaths and abuses at sea, explain the legal obligations associated with maritime rescue, and promote changes to European migration and asylum policy. Its advocacy has included petitions, complaints to European institutions, and court proceedings challenging the assignment of distant Italian ports and other measures affecting rescue ships. The association is headquartered in Berlin and is supported by volunteer groups in several German cities. Its governance includes an elected board and an annual general meeting. Laura Gorriahn has served as chairwoman since 2019, while Till Rummenhohl has led the office since May 2023. The organization is primarily financed through donations and also receives support from partner charities, foundations, companies, and public institutions. It is connected with the German Fundraising Council, the Transparent Civil Society Initiative, and VENRO as a guest member. SOS Humanity remains active and has proposed adding a second vessel, Humanity 2, to its fleet in 2026.
History
SOS Humanity was founded in Berlin on May 4, 2015, as SOS Mediterranee Deutschland e.V. The initiative followed Italy’s decision to end Mare Nostrum, a state-led maritime rescue program that had operated after a series of deadly shipwrecks. Captain and historian Klaus Vogel helped establish the German association, which became part of a broader European network with organizations in France, Italy, and Switzerland. The network’s stated purpose was to provide civilian search and rescue while drawing public attention to the human consequences of European border and migration policy. In 2016, the network chartered the Aquarius, a Gibraltar-flagged former fisheries-protection vessel associated with the German coast guard. After conversion for rescue work, the vessel operated in international waters south of Italy and near Libya. From 2016 to 2018, the Aquarius rescued more than 29,000 people according to the organization’s historical account. Its work became part of a wider political dispute over the duties of rescue ships, the role of non-governmental organizations, and the safety of returning people to Libya. In 2019, the network began operating the Ocean Viking, a vessel built in 1986 and registered under the Norwegian flag. It had been converted from a cargo ship into a rescue vessel. The Ocean Viking carried out missions until 2022 and rescued more than 5,000 people during the period identified in the organization’s history. The German association remained involved in the European network during this period, while also developing the capacity to operate a vessel under its own organizational identity. At the end of 2021, the German association separated from SOS Méditerranée in order to operate an independent ship. It adopted the name SOS Humanity and took over the former Sea-Watch 4. The vessel was prepared in dry dock in July 2022 and renamed Humanity 1 at a ceremony in Vinaròs, Spain, on August 19. It departed on its first mission under the new name in late August. That mission rescued 414 people, including women, children, and unaccompanied minors. During 2022, the vessel rescued 855 people in total according to the organization’s reported figures. SOS Humanity’s missions are conducted under the framework of international maritime law and conventions concerning safety of life at sea. The organization coordinates, where applicable, with maritime rescue coordination centers and seeks instructions concerning a place of disembarkation. It maintains that Libya cannot be treated as a place of safety because of documented reports of detention, abuse, torture, trafficking, and other serious violations. The organization also argues that delayed disembarkation and the assignment of distant ports reduce the time rescue ships can spend in areas where people are at risk. The legal and political environment became more difficult from 2018 onward, when responsibility for coordinating a designated Libyan search-and-rescue region was recognized internationally. In 2023, Italy introduced measures requiring rescue ships to proceed to assigned ports after rescues and limiting their ability to conduct additional rescues while traveling. SOS Humanity criticized these rules and, with other organizations, pursued litigation and a complaint to the European Commission. Its advocacy has also included public education and a 2023 petition urging the German government to support a European-coordinated rescue program. The association is based in Berlin and operates with employees, volunteers, an elected board, and local volunteer groups. It is financed mainly by donations, supplemented by grants and other institutional support. It participates in German civil-society and fundraising networks. SOS Humanity has received or been associated with several humanitarian and civic awards, including the Schwarzkopf Europe Prize, the European Citizen’s Prize, the Carl von Ossietzky Medal, the Franco-German Media Prize, and recognition connected with the SOS Méditerranée alliance. In 2026, it proposed a second vessel, Humanity 2, as a possible expansion of its rescue capacity.
- 2026
Humanity 2 proposed
[1]The organization proposed adding a second rescue vessel, Humanity 2, subject to conversion for humanitarian operations.
- 2023
Legal and political challenges expanded
[1]SOS Humanity joined court proceedings and a European Commission complaint concerning Italian rules and port-allocation practices affecting rescue ships.
- 2022
Humanity 1 launched
[1]The former Sea-Watch 4 was renamed Humanity 1 and began SOS Humanity’s independent rescue operations.
- 2021
German association becomes independent
[1]The German organization withdrew from the SOS Méditerranée association at the end of the year to operate its own vessel.
- 2019
Ocean Viking deployed
[1]The Ocean Viking replaced the Aquarius in the wider SOS Méditerranée rescue operation.
- 2018
Libyan rescue-zone coordination changes
[1]The Libyan Coast Guard assumed a formal coordinating role in the Libyan search-and-rescue zone, a development criticized by civilian rescue organizations.
- 2016
Aquarius enters rescue service
[1]The European SOS Méditerranée network began operating the converted Aquarius for central Mediterranean rescue missions.
- 2015
German association founded
[1]SOS Mediterranee Deutschland e.V. was established in Berlin on May 4 after the end of Italy’s Mare Nostrum rescue mission.
Products and positioning
A humanitarian civil-sea-rescue organization combining emergency operations with human-rights advocacy and criticism of European migration policies.
Rescue vessel · 2022
Humanity 1
Humanity 1 is SOS Humanity’s principal search-and-rescue vessel. Formerly operated by Sea-Watch as Sea-Watch 4, it was refurbished and renamed in 2022. The vessel carries an international crew and supports maritime search, rescue, first aid, humanitarian assistance, documentation, and the transfer of rescued people to a designated place of safety.
Planned rescue vessel · 2026
Humanity 2
Humanity 2 is a proposed second SOS Humanity vessel intended to expand the organization’s rescue capacity in the central Mediterranean. The available reference material describes conversion work on a ketch in Syracuse and a planned entry into service in 2026. Its operational status and final deployment schedule remain subject to confirmation.
Marketing campaigns
- 2023SOS in the Mediterranean: Coordinate sea rescue at European level
Germany · European Union
SOS Humanity petitioned the German federal government to honor its coalition commitment and support a European-coordinated search-and-rescue program in the Mediterranean.
Outcome. The petition collected 62,943 signatures and was handed to Interior Minister Nancy Faeser on June 7, 2023.
- 2023Advocacy against distant-port assignments
Italy · European Union
The organization campaigned against the assignment of distant Italian ports to rescue ships, arguing that the practice lengthened voyages and reduced the time vessels could spend conducting rescues.
Outcome. SOS Humanity pursued the issue through public advocacy and litigation with other civil-society organizations.
Brand decisions
2026
Plan second vessel Humanity 2Product launchBackground
SOS Humanity proposed expanding its operational capacity beyond Humanity 1.
Action taken
The organization planned to convert a second vessel, Humanity 2, for Mediterranean rescue missions.
Aftermath
The available material does not establish whether the vessel had entered operational service.
2023
Challenge Italian rescue and port rulesOtherBackground
SOS Humanity argued that Italian measures requiring rescue vessels to proceed to assigned ports and restricting further assistance could conflict with maritime and European legal obligations.
Action taken
It joined a civil lawsuit in Rome and a complaint to the European Commission with other humanitarian and legal organizations.
Aftermath
The organization continued public and legal advocacy concerning safe disembarkation, rescue coordination, and the treatment of civilian rescue operators.
2022
Launch Humanity 1Product launchBackground
After becoming independent, SOS Humanity needed a dedicated vessel for its central Mediterranean rescue program.
Action taken
The former Sea-Watch 4 was refurbished, renamed Humanity 1, and deployed on its first SOS Humanity mission in August 2022.
Aftermath
The vessel rescued 855 people during 2022 according to the organization’s reported historical figures.
2021
Separate from SOS Méditerranée to operate an independent vesselStrategyBackground
The German association sought to develop its own ship-based rescue capability rather than continue operating within the previous European association structure.
Action taken
It withdrew from the association at the end of 2021 and subsequently operated under the SOS Humanity identity.
Aftermath
The organization took over the former Sea-Watch 4, renamed it Humanity 1, and began independent missions in 2022.
Sources2 sources
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