Sailor Giovanni Soldini: "I rescue people who brave the sea in search of a future"

ROME — "What I will take home with me is the look in the eyes of all these young men and women, their longing for a future. With all the technology and resources we have, the fact that people are still dying at sea in 2026 is absurd." A sailor and solo navigator with more than 30 transoceanic crossings behind him, Giovanni Soldini is probably the best-known face in Italian sailing. He is at sea again, but this time he is not trying to break a record or win a leg of a race. Having joined the crew of Emergency's Life Support rescue ship, he is now heading towards Genoa, identified by Italy's Interior Ministry as the only available safe port, to bring 113 rescued people ashore. Photo: Niccolò Palla / Emergency Ony Ets "We are used to hearing about these things, but when you actually experience them, you realise the scale of the tragedy unfolding before our eyes. And you discover things you never even imagined." Even someone with your experience? "I had no idea of the operational difficulties. Getting people to safety when so many are crammed onto dilapidated boats is no easy task. But above all, you begin to understand who these people really are." How would you describe them? "Nobody boards a rickety seven-metre boat with 70 other people because they want to. They do it because they have no other choice. These are people full of hope, who dream of improving their lives. They are happy because they think the worst is behind them. But that is an illusion, because our society is failing them completely and has no decent answers to offer." Why did you decide to join the rescue crew? "I wanted to see this reality up close, to understand it." Hadn't you already been involved in a rescue when you saved Isabelle Autissier, the sailor left adrift in the Pacific? "When you manage to save someone's life, the joy is always the same. But the circumstances are different. Isabelle is an experienced sailor, and her boat was well equipped to handle situations like that. In the Mediterranean, you encounter people who are completely unprepared, who have never been to sea and often cannot even swim. Yet they climb aboard these barely seaworthy boats and take a gamble with their lives. You hear people saying, 'The number of arrivals has fallen.' But the truth is that deaths have increased, and rescue operations have become more difficult because of absurd regulations." Can you give me an example? "Beyond the decrees restricting rescue operations, I discovered something surreal. People aboard many of these boats manage to send out a Mayday using a satellite phone. But from an NGO rescue ship, you cannot call them back to establish their exact position because you risk being accused of aiding illegal immigration. You are supposed to rescue people, but with one hand tied behind your back." Photo: Niccolò Palla / Emergency Ony Ets Has this experience changed your relationship with the sea? "The sea is not our natural environment. We are not fish. It comes with risks that have to be respected. But today it is being used as an impassable border, as a place to deal with problems we are incapable of managing on land. The Mediterranean is not to blame for these shipwrecks." Have you ever feared that something like that might happen to you? "When it happens, you don't have time to be afraid. I've been rescued twice. On one occasion, in 2005, I even had trouble getting ashore because, despite having a visa and a passport, nobody wanted to take responsibility for allowing me to disembark in the United States. Being turned away is not a pleasant feeling." Does the law of the sea still exist? "It is increasingly under threat. Western societies are retreating from their fundamental values. Saving lives at sea has always been a duty. Even during wartime, Italian sailors would pull enemy seamen out of the water after sinking their ship. Pirates did the same, as did the ancient Romans. The people crossing the sea today are not even enemies. There is simply a political determination to stop migration flows that we are incapable of managing. But those flows exist, and they will continue to exist." How did people react when you decided to join the mission? "Not everyone is going to agree. Many people were supportive, but there are always those who say, 'This just fuels organised crime.' Those are senseless comments that distract from the real issue. International maritime law must be defended, and people in distress must be rescued." Some people argue that athletes should stick to talking about their sporting achievements. "There is also a social responsibility, and athletes should take a stand, even more than others. But on these issues, just as with the health of our seas, the debate has come to resemble the kind of hostility you see between rival football fans. People just yell at one another." Photo: Niccolò Palla / Emergency Ony Ets What will you take away from this experience? "Meeting a young Somali man. He had attempted the crossing eight times. Each time he was captured, taken back to Libya, extorted and forced to pay for his freedom, then pay again to attempt another crossing — possibly to the very same people who had imprisoned him. It is shocking that the EU and Italy, under both right-wing and left-wing governments, have financed these pushbacks." Will you return to sea as a rescuer? "I'd really like to, so yes, definitely." This article was reviewed by an external translation partner