EU-backed Libyan coast guard shot at and threatened to kidnap crew of German aid ship

A German charity vessel came under armed attack by the EU-backed Libyan coast guard amid threats to abduct the crew back to Libya, according to Sea-Watch, an NGO. “As far as we know at this point, no one was hit, luckily,” Julia Winkler, a spokesperson at Sea-Watch, told EUobserver on Monday (11 May). The NGO is operating Sea-Watch 5, which came under fire on Monday morning in international waters approximately 55 nautical miles north of Libya, after rescuing some 90 people. One initial shot was reportedly fired, followed by a salvo of 10 to 15 shots. Winkler said the crew were able to identify a Corrubia-class patrol boat as among the culprits that threatened Sea-Watch 5. “One of them was definitely one of these Corrubia boats,” said Winkler, noting that Italy has donated several Corrubia-class patrol boat to the Libyan coast guard. Winkler said the Libyans offered no warnings prior to the shots. They also threatened to take the boat and the crew back to Libya. “What they did today is that they said they have quote ‘orders by the military’ to bring our ship to Libya,” she said. A similar shooting incident took place last August after the Libyan coast guard boat fired hundreds of rounds at the Ocean Viking. At the time, the Ocean Viking vessel was fired upon by a Corrubia-class patrol boat donated by Italy in 2023 with support from EU funds. Efforts by EUobserver to obtain records of the shooting held by the EU’s border agency Frontex have been denied. Those details can be found in Frontex’s Integrated Situation Awareness and Analysis No 485, dated 27 August 2025, as well as a Team Leaders’ Landing Report JO Italy 2025, dated 25 August 2025. Neither has been released. Frontex say their disclosure “would ultimately put the life of migrants in danger.” A delegation of Libyans had also visited Frontex last October. Shooting incidents, then more EU aid Similar violent incidents over the years have prompted the European Commission to ask for inquiries from both the Libyans and the Italians – but without results. In 2023, the EU delivered two brand new patrol boats to the Libyan coast guard despite repeated shooting incidents caught on camera during search-and-rescue operations.