The first migrant rescue ship is anchored in an Italian port since April
An Italian NGO ship with dozens of migrants docked at an Italian port on Saturday, the first operation of its kind since April.
Human rights organizations praised the arrival of the “Marie Jun” ship to Pozzallo on the island of Sicily on International Refugee Day, and noted the acceptance by the Italian authorities to provide a port to dock the ship “Medinrenia” at an unprecedented speed.
“For the first time, respect for international law, which provides for a safe port in a short time, occurs,” the organization’s chairperson, Alessandra Skorpa, said in a statement.
The ship rescued 67 people on Friday after their boat encountered difficulties some 40 nautical miles (70 km) from the Italian island of Lampedusa. The organization said that the migrants remained without water for two days.
For his part, Italian journalist and immigration specialist Nilo Scavo said on Twitter that “for the first time in years, a” safe place “was created in less than 24 hours. It should be automatic.”
The “Medinrenia” organization called for providing a safe port for the crew of the German “C Watch 3” and the about 100 migrants on board who were rescued off the coast of Libya earlier this week.
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This is the first docking in Italy by a ship belonging to a non-governmental organization since April, when Italy announced the closure of its ports due to the outbreak of the new Corona virus, which also led to the closure of the whole country in March.
The Italian organization said it is conducting patrols in the middle of the Mediterranean because European governments do not comply with their responsibility to “protect human lives”.
