Sea rescuers accuse Berlin of obstructing humanitarian work

Sea rescue organizations in Germany accuse the federal government of hindering their work by tightening safety regulations for smaller ships used in rescue operations in the Mediterranean. In a statement, the organizations accuse Berlin of violating a coalition agreement by amending the Ship Safety Ordinance, the public broadcaster ARD reported on Tuesday.

According to the Department of Transportation's bill, the coalition wants stricter safety standards for smaller vessels used by organizations in rescue operations.The German rescue organizations said adapting to the stricter regulations would place a huge financial burden on them, thereby hampering their rescue operations.

"For the majority of civil sea rescue ships flying the German flag, this regulation means that they have to limit or stop their life-saving work," says a statement signed by Mission Lifeline, Resqship, Sea-Watch and Sea-Eye."The implementation of these changes is a clear violation of the coalition agreement, according to which civil sea rescue must not be hindered," the non-governmental organizations continue.

A spokesman for Germany's transport ministry said the government's strict safety standards are needed to improve the safety of people on board the ships.The plan is not aimed at hindering private sea rescue in the Mediterranean. On the contrary, it is about securing their work. The government is in constant contact with the organizations and there will be transitional periods for retrofitting," the spokesman for the German Ministry of Transport continued.

The revised safety regulations require that ships longer than 24 meters meet the safety standards required for cargo ships. Previously, only ships over 35 meters were considered cargo ships, which had to meet the relevant safety requirements. The smaller ships have so far had lower safety standards than the larger ones.According to rescue organizations, since the beginning of the rescue operations of civilian ships in the Mediterranean Sea in 2015, no incidents have become known in which crew members or those rescued have been endangered due to safety deficiencies.