Over 39,330 migrants have reached Italy via the central Mediterranean route this year.
In the early hours of August 19, 2025, the humanitarian vessel Sea-Watch 5, operated by the NGO Sea-Watch, rescued approximately 100 migrants in the central Mediterranean. The organization confirmed that all those rescued are “safe” and that the ship is en route to the port of Catania, Sicily, designated by Italian authorities for disembarkation, reports 24brussels.
Earlier that day, another humanitarian ship, Humanity 1, operated by the NGO SOS Humanity, docked in Naples carrying 134 migrants, all males, including 10 unaccompanied minors. The migrants, of Bangladeshi, Eritrean, Egyptian, and Yemeni nationality, had been rescued days prior while traveling in two separate fiberglass boats. The NGO condemned Italian authorities for assigning them a distant port over 750 kilometers from the rescue site, stating that this action “denies people their right to immediately disembark in a safe place.”
On the same day, the island of Lampedusa welcomed an additional 106 migrants rescued by the Italian Financial Guard. These individuals were traveling in two boats: one carrying 37 people and the other 69. The first vessel, approximately 10 meters long, included migrants from Bangladesh, Egypt, Pakistan, and Tunisia, having departed from Tajoura, Libya. The second boat, reportedly originating from Zuwara, was carrying Bangladeshis, Egyptians, and Moroccans, as reported by local media.
All rescued migrants have been taken to the Contrada Imbriacola reception center in Lampedusa, which is currently housing 215 people. So far this year, more than 39,330 migrants have arrived in Italy via the central Mediterranean route, surpassing the total of around 38,191 arrivals during the same period in 2024.
