Budapest/Geneva, 9 December 2025 – The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) regrets to announce the closing of its operation supporting people on the move on the Central Mediterranean, delivered in partnership with SOS MEDITERRANEE aboard the Ocean Viking search and rescue vessel.
Despite exhaustive efforts, the IFRC has been unable to secure the necessary resources to continue the operation beyond 2025. As a result, IFRC network staff will no longer be present on board the Ocean Viking, and SOS MEDITERRANEE will cover the vessel’s operational costs alone.
This mission has been a lifeline for thousands, rescuing people from the Mediterranean’s perilous waters and providing them with safety, dignity, and care. In the past four years, IFRC network teams onboard Ocean Viking helped save more than 8,600 people, including 2,200 children.
“It brings us tremendous pain and sadness to have financial constraints directly impact such a vital and lifesaving operation,” said Maria Alcazar Castilla, IFRC Deputy Regional Director for Europe. “We are grateful to all our partners who supported this important initiative, from funding to sending staff onboard and advocating on behalf of migrants.”
On board the Ocean Viking, IFRC teams provided post-rescue humanitarian services, including medical care, first aid, psychosocial support, food, and information about asylum procedures in Europe. Over the years, the IFRC teams participated in 156 rescue operations, distributed 96,000 meals, provided 6,500 medical consultations, and helped deliver 3,200 ‘safe and well’ messages to families of survivors. This work was carried out in an increasingly restrictive and dangerous environment, making the delivery of impartial humanitarian assistance ever more challenging.
“We thank SOS MEDITERRANEE for their partnership over the years. Search and rescue operations remain a humanitarian necessity, ensuring that people in distress at sea are brought to safety. Even though our cooperation is ending, we wish for their work to continue for as long as it’s needed,” added Maria Alcazar Castilla.
While IFRC’s work at sea concludes, our commitment to people on the move remains steadfast. Red Cross and Red Crescent teams continue to provide humanitarian assistance along migration routes, from disembarkation to integration. This includes Spain, Italy, and Greece, where National Societies are present on the coastlines, and many others across Europe and beyond, offering health care, psychological support, safe shelter, food, and assistance with reconnecting families.
Globally, through more than 600 humanitarian service points, migrants and displaced people can access trusted and neutral spaces for support, protection and essential services along every stage of their journey.
Note to editors:
The Central Mediterranean Sea is one of the world’s deadliest migratory routes, with more than 25,000 people having lost their lives or gone missing in the past 10 years. Every day, many people risk their lives at sea, travelling in unseaworthy, overloaded boats.
In July 2021, the IFRC entered a partnership with SOS MEDITERRANEE – a European maritime and humanitarian organization conducting search and rescue operations to save lives in the Central Mediterranean. The operation is conducted from the rescue ship Ocean Viking.
Since 2021, the IFRC received a total financial support 5.2 million Swiss francs for the humanitarian operation at sea, with the greatest contributions coming from the Swedish Red Cross, Icelandic Red Cross and the Netherlands Red Cross, as well as the Muslim World League. Additional support was received from Canadian Red Cross, Danish Red Cross, Finnish Red Cross, French Red Cross, Irish Red Cross, Japanese Red Cross and Monaco Red Cross.
Other partners supported the mission through staff deployments, including American Red Cross, Belgian Red Cross, Finnish Red Cross, French Red Cross, Hong Kong Red Cross Branch (of the Red Cross Society of China), Icelandic Red Cross, Italian Red Cross, Kuwait Red Crescent, Monaco Red Cross, Slovak Red Cross, and Swedish Red Cross.
The Swedish Red Cross, thanks to a generous contribution from the Swedish Post Code Lottery, continues to support SOS MEDITERRANEE in the adoption of advanced technologies to enhance the efficiency of search and rescue at sea. This project will continue in 2026.
· Visuals: Additional photos and video available here: LINK
· Audio: An interview on IFRC News, IFRC’s weekly news podcast
For more information or to request an interview, please contact: [email protected]
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