The rescue comes as SOS Méditerranée resumes operations with the Ocean Viking. In mid December 2025, the organisation announced it had completed repairs costing around 130,000 euros, along with upgrades to crew training and onboard safety procedures. The aim is to restore regular search and rescue patrols along one of the world’s deadliest migration routes.
The operating environment remains tense. SOS Méditerranée reports a rise in violence and obstruction targeting rescue ships and people in distress, including several incidents involving other NGOs. Since an attack on the Ocean Viking in August, the organisation has warned that the lack of accountability risks encouraging further threats to life saving missions at sea.
The UN’s International Organization for Migration says that more than 1,000 people were reported dead or missing on the Central Mediterranean route by November 2025 alone, with the toll still climbing at the end of the year.