''Lifeline'' is a small rescue boat, formerly an inshore fisheries

research vessel A research vessel (RV or R/V) is a ship or boat designed, modified, or equipped to carry out research at sea. Research vessels carry out a number of roles. Some of these roles can be combined into a single vessel but others require a dedicated ...

of the

Fisheries Research Services Fisheries Research Services (FRS) was an Executive Agency of the Scottish Government. FRS was responsible for scientific and technical research into the marine and freshwater fisheries and aquaculture, and the protection of the aquatic en ...

currently seized by Maltese authorities due to disputed ownership, ship classification, home port documentation and flag registration. The captain, appeared in a Maltese court charged with commanding an improperly registered ship and was released on a 10,000-euro bail.

History

''Clupea'' was commissioned in 1968. Measuring 32 m (100 ft) and drawing 3.5 m (11 ft 6 in), she is a good size for conducting research inside the constricted space of a

sea loch ''Loch'' () is the Scottish Gaelic, Scots and Irish word for a lake or sea inlet. It is cognate with the Manx lough, Cornish logh, and one of the Welsh words for lake, llwch. In English English and Hiberno-English, the anglicised spel ...

. For research in offshore areas and the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea, epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the ...

, the larger, more modern, was used. ''Clupea'' was replaced by after the latter's launch in 2008. She has been sold to a private company.

''Clupea''

As ''Clupea'' she was equipped with winches, reel drums and an A-frame, allowing her to tow a range of

fishing gear Fishing tackle is the equipment used by anglers when fishing. Almost any equipment or gear used in fishing can be called fishing tackle, examples being hooks, lines, baits/ lures, rods, reels, floats, sinkers/ feeders, nets, stringers/ k ...

. Deck cranes allow the deployment of water sampling equipment and benthic grabs. She was based at the port of

Fraserburgh Fraserburgh (; sco, The Broch or ; gd, A' Bhruaich) is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland with a population recorded in the 2011 Census at 13,100. It lies at the far northeast corner of Aberdeenshire, about north of Aberdeen, and north of ...

and operated mainly on the Scottish west coast on behalf of the Scottish Executive. As a small vessel requiring space for equipment and laboratories, ''Clupea'' had only accommodation for four

officers An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," f ...

, six

crew A crew is a body or a class of people who work at a common activity, generally in a structured or hierarchical organization. A location in which a crew works is called a crewyard or a workyard. The word has nautical resonances: the tasks involved ...

and six

scientist A scientist is a person who conducts scientific research to advance knowledge in an area of the natural sciences. In classical antiquity, there was no real ancient analog of a modern scientist. Instead, philosophers engaged in the philosoph ...

As ''Sea-Watch 2''

In 2015 ''Clupea'' was sold to the German NGO Sea-Watch, who started a civil sea rescue service for refugees and migrants in the Mediterranean. The vessel was renamed ''Sea-Watch 2'' in March 2016 and has been used for search and rescue (SAR) missions.

As ''Lifeline''

In autumn 2016, the NGO Sea Watch sold the ship to Mission Lifeline e.V., a

service club A service club or service organization is a voluntary nonprofit organization where members meet regularly to perform charitable works either by direct hands-on efforts or by raising money for other organizations. A service club is defined firstl ...

based in

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label= Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth ...

. Its name now is ''Lifeline''. In June 2018, the ''Lifeline'' (with 239 migrants on board) was in the media as one of the ships being forbidden to enter an Italian harbour.

Matteo Salvini Matteo Salvini (; born 9 March 1973) is an Italian politician who has served as Deputy Prime Minister of Italy and Minister of Infrastructure and Transport since 2022. He has been Federal Secretary of Italy's Lega Nord (Northern League) party s ...

, then

Italian Minister of the Interior The Minister of the Interior (Italian: ''Ministro dell'Interno'') in Italy is one of the most important positions in the Italian Council of Ministers and leads the Ministry of the Interior. The current Minister is prefect Matteo Piantedosi, ...

(

Conte Cabinet The first Conte government was the 65th government of the Italian Republic. It was led by Giuseppe Conte, an independent, and it was in office from 1 June 2018 to 5 September 2019. The cabinet was formed by a coalition between the Five Star Mov ...

), had ordered this blocking. Netherlands Minister Cora van Nieuwenhuizen declared in late June 2018, that the ''Lifeline'' does not operate under the Netherlands flag. According to the statement, the existing registration of the vessel with the Koninklijk Nederlands Watersport Verbond was only a proof of ownership, which did not make the Netherlands the

flag state The flag state of a merchant vessel is the jurisdiction under whose laws the vessel is registered or licensed, and is deemed the nationality of the vessel. A merchant vessel must be registered and can only be registered in one jurisdiction, but ma ...

for the ''Lifeline''. The ''Lifeline'' was impounded by the Maltese authorities in summer 2018. In January 2020, captain Claus-Peter Reisch had his conviction for entering Maltese waters 'without the necessary registration or licence' quashed and a €10,000 fine revoked.Edwina Brinca
MV Lifeline rescue ship captain wins appeal over €10,000 fine- Claus Peter Reisch has conviction quashed
7 January 2020 ''timesofmalta.com'', accessed 20 June 2021

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lifeline (ship) Research vessels of the United Kingdom Fishing vessels of the United Kingdom Ships built in Aberdeen Ships built by Hall, Russell & Company 1968 ships