Italy detains German migrant rescue ships

Emmanuel Thomas I Saturday, June 3, 2023

 

ITALY – The Italian authorities have temporarily detained two German sea rescue vessels, the Mare*Go and the Sea-Eye 4, after crews from the aid organizations transported several migrants to Italy on Friday.

The Italian coast guard said the rescue operations in the Mediterranean had violated a law which states that after a rescue operation, a port must be immediately approached instead of carrying out several rescues. Vessels also have a duty to adhere to the authorities’ docking instructions, they said.

Mare*Go’s crew said it rescued 37 migrants from distress at sea and docked on the island of Lampedusa, between Sicily and North Africa, although Italian authorities had assigned it to the port of Trapani.

Given the long journey to Trapani, the crew decided instead to head to Lampedusa, to ensure quicker access to care for the migrants, it said on Twitter.

The Sea-Eye 4 vessel rescued 49 people and brought them to Ortona, a port town on the Adriatic coast, Friday morning. They had rescued 17 people from sea last Sunday and 32 more on Wednesday – thus undertaking several missions.

The coast guard accused them both of violating the law and detained their vessels.
“Sea rescuers must not always be at risk of being criminalized and punished,” said Gorden Isler, chairman of Sea-Eye.

According to Rome’s Interior Ministry, more than 50,000 migrants have reached Italy on boats since the beginning of the year – compared to some 19,600 in the same period last year.
Rome has intensified its action against sea rescue organizations in recent months.