The ship Mare Jonio was originally constructed as a tugboat in 1972.[1] Operating on behalf of Mediterranea Saving Humans (MSH), Mare Jonio has been active in a Search and Rescue (SAR) role rescuing shipwrecked refugees in the Mediterranean Sea since October 2018.[2][3] The project also has the support of the German association Sea-Watch and the Spanish Proactiva Open Arms.[4][5] The ship is owned by Alessandro Metz[6] through Idra Social Shipping SRL and is managed by Augustea Imprese Marittime e di Salvataggi SpA of Genoa, Italy;[7] Mare Jonio sails under the Italian flag.[1]
Mare Jonio is 37m long (some sources give 38m, more specifically 37.55m in one source[8]), with a beam of 9m and a draught of 3.2m.[9] The ship has a maximum speed of 13knots.[8]
Between 2007 and 2018 the ship operated largely on the western side of Italy.[9][10]
Mare Jonio began SAR operations by setting sail on 3 October 2018.[2][11]
Mare Jonio was seized by the Italian authorities in September 2019 over a dispute regarding the legality of landing shipwrecked refugees at Italian ports.[12] The ship remained confiscated until February 2020, when a jury accepted Mediterranea's appeal, immediately releasing the ship from seizure.[13]
During March 2020 MSH announced that its two ships, Mare Jonio and Alex would suspend their navigation due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[14] Operations resumed in June 2020,[15] and sixty people were rescued on 19 June,[16] followed by another forty-three on 29 June.[17]
The ship was declared to be subject to mandatory maintenance work and has been in the port of Chioggia, Italy, since November 2020.[18]
The crew of Mare Jonio was attacked by the Libyan Coast Guard while conducting a Search and rescue operation in international waters, approximately 95 miles north of Libyan coastline.[19]
The Mare Jonio together with the Maersk Etienne were given the "Seafarers’ Award" 2021 at Copenhagen.[20]