L’Ocean-Viking, who helped 118 migrants fleeing Libya in the Mediterranean on Thursday, has already formulated “Three requests” Italy and Malta to be assigned a landing port, said Monday June 29 SOS Mediterranean, which charters the boat.
The NGO’s ambulance boat is currently treading water between Malta and Italy, pending a response from the authorities of these two countries. “We didn’t get a response, not even an acknowledgment” on the part of the authorities concerned, deplored the spokesperson of the NGO, Laurence Bondard:
“It is unacceptable and illegal under international maritime law, which is very clear: anyone saved at sea must be able to be disembarked as quickly as possible in a safe place. “
It is « urgent » that the 118 people collected Thursday on two wooden boats “Be taken care of”, said the spokeswoman, adding that on the fourth day of waiting the migrants “Start to be anxious”.
A quarantine system at sea
The first rescue operation took place in international waters, close to Italy and Malta, while the second was carried out in the Maltese search and rescue zone, according to the NGO, which revived its operations a week ago after three months of stoppage linked to the health crisis.
The docking of migrant boats remains subject to strict rules due to the Covid-19 epidemic. Twenty-eight of the 209 migrants rescued in the Mediterranean by the German NGO Sea Watch, then placed in quarantine on a ferry in a Sicilian port, tested positive for coronavirus last week.
The Maltese authorities have set up a similar system of quarantine at sea on tourist boats.
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