The Life Support, a search and rescue vessel operated by the NGO Emergency, departed from Sicily today for its 46th mission in the Central Mediterranean. Bolstering the 29-person crew - which includes 9 sailors and 20 Emergency staff members ranging from rescuers and medics to cultural mediators - is renowned ocean navigator Giovanni Soldini. Serving as a rescuer, Soldini brings his profound expertise of the sea to the mission. "I have always followed the incredible work Emergency does in the Mediterranean with the Life Support, and I am honored to come aboard for its 46th mission," Soldini said.

The Central Mediterranean remains one of the world's deadliest migration routes. According to the International Organization for Migration’s (IOM) Missing Migrants Project, over 35,600 people have died in the Mediterranean since 2014, with more than 26,800 of those fatalities occurring in the central corridor where the Life Support operates. "Faced with what is effectively an unrecognized humanitarian crisis that has only worsened over the last year, Emergency will continue to rescue those risking their lives," said Jonathan Nanì La Terra, the ship's Head of Mission. "It is the only right thing to do, and it is mandated by international law."

While migrant landings on Italian shores more than halved between January and October 2026 compared to the same period last year - largely due to increased funding for North African countries to intercept departures, a policy criticized for severe human rights violations - the death toll has actually climbed. Fatalities in the Mediterranean rose from 1,606 in the first ten months of 2025 to 2,034 during the same period this year, according to the IOM. Since deploying in December 2022, Emergency’s rescue ship has saved 3,588 people.