Aquarius Dignitus
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The MV Aquarius, formerly Aquarius Dignitus and Aquarius 2 , is a 1977-built dual-flagged[4] (Germany and Panama) search and rescue vessel, which has been used to rescue refugees and migrants stranded in the Mediterranean Sea since 2016.[5][6] It has been chartered and operated since February 2016 by the NGOs SOS Méditerranée and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF or Doctors without borders) as a rescue vessel for migrants and refugees making the Mediterranean crossing in makeshift craft from Libya to Italy as part of the European migrant crisis.[7]
This article needs to be updated. (May 2023) |
Aquarius in 2012 | |
History | |
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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 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does not have beds, cabins or accommodation for refugees.[10] In November 2018, The Guardian reported that her flag had been revoked by Panama and Liberia, and there was a search for a prospective flag to register under.[11]