| 2 August | Open Arms, after rescuing 24 people, respond to an alert of 2 additional boats with 100 people. Upon arriving to the position, the so-called Libyan Coast Guard is on scene, having set fire to one boat and intimidates Open Arms. The fate of those 100 people remains unknown, while the 24 onboard Open Arms must wait for disembarkation in the distant port of Civitavecchia. |
| 4 August | Nadir helps to stabilize 150 people from 4 different boats, taking aboard 110 and bringing them to Lampedusa (8). |
| 7 August | Seabird provides air support to Geo Barents, who responds to an iron boat with 49 people, 3 of whom had fallen overboard. 2 are recovered from the water, while 1 remains missing (9). For the fourth time in 2023, the distant port of La Spezia is assigned for the survivors. |
| 9 August | Louise Michel responds to a mayday relay: 8 people had fallen overboard from an overcrowded metal boat that had an additional 20 people. They had been at sea for 10 days. Everyone was brought aboard and given urgent food, water, and medical assistance (10). |
| 10 August | Over the course of 24 hours, Nadir encounters 3 separate boats in distress, stabilizing each one and accompanying 150 people safely to Lampedusa (11). In one of its largest rescue operations, Ocean Viking completes 15 separate rescues of 623 people. The operations last 36 hours during which the crew operates nonstop. |
| 11 August | Fishermen spot a boat in distress and the Nadir responds, coming across a second boat on the way. After Nadir’s initial response, all 95 people are taken aboard with Ocean Viking. Humanity 1 rescues an overcrowded inflatable raft with around 80 people. Later in the afternoon they take on an additional 20 people onboard from another overcrowded boat (12). |
| 13 August | Nadir responds to 3 different boats with 100 people, reporting their distress to the authorities and giving assistance. The following day, Nadir responds to another boat in risk of capsizing, taking aboard all 19 people and bringing them safely to Lampedusa. |
| 17 August | After an alert by Seabird, Geo Barents rescues 55 people. The so-called Libyan Coast Guard appears at the scene and begins threatening Geo Barents, trailing the ship for some time to intimidate those aboard the vessel. |
| 18 August | Aurora takes 72 people aboard after having assisted Open Arms in an initial rescue operation. The distant port of Trapani is assigned, despite the vessel running low on fuel. When the Aurora reaches Trapani 3 days later, authorities place the ship in administrative detention for 20 days. |
| 23 August | Open Arms is also placed under a 20-day administrative detention and fined 10,000 euros after responding to 3 different distress situations in collaboration with the Italian authorities. All 195 people are safely disembarked in Carrara, but Open Arms is unable to continue due the authorities use of the Meloni Decree on the vessel. Humanity 1 responds to 57 people from an unseaworthy wooden boat in the Maltese SAR zone. The distant port of Livorno is assigned, requiring a journey of four additional days. After Sea Eye 4 safely disembarks 114 people in Salerno, the ship is placed under administrative detention for 20 days and fined 3,333 euros. This is the third civilian rescue ship placed in detention within a 48-hour period. |
| 24 August | Geo Barents responds to 2 overcrowded boats with 168 people in the Libyan SAR zone. On the way to Livorno, the Humanity 1 finds a small rubber boat with 10 people, which is helps to stabilize until further help arrives. In coordination with Seabird, Ocean Viking continuously responds to several distress situations. 7 boats with 439 people are rescue (13). The distant port of Genoa is initially assigned, but due to bad weather conditions, Ocean Viking is able to disembark a first group in Vibo Valentia and the remaining people in Naples. No reason for assigning two separate ports is given by the authorities. |
| 26 August | With assistance by Seabird, Louise Michel rescues 2 rubber boats with 124 people. A Libyan patrol boat attempts to intervene, endangering the safe rescue of the first boat. |
Article published in Echoes#8 – Struggles for Freedom of Movement
