(Marseille) The NGO “SOS Méditerranée” protested on Saturday against the new detention of its ambulance ship. Ocean Viking By the Italian authorities, for the third time since November.
The non-governmental organization specialized in helping migrants at sea, based in Marseille (south of France), indicated that its boat, which arrived on Friday at the Italian port of Brindisi on the Adriatic coast, carrying 261 people rescued at sea, immediately received 20 migrants. He was ordered to be detained for a day, accompanied by a fine of €3,333 ($4,800 CAD).
This detention order is based on “false statements from Libyan patrol boats,” SOS Méditerranée denounced in a press release.
He refers to the final rescue operation that the Libyans are accused ofOcean Viking Sophie Bou, director general of the non-governmental organization, explained to AFP that the authorities had violated the order to leave the area.
“In fact, we first got the green light (from the Libyans), before the last-minute ban,” M continuedI Poe, explaining that at the timeOcean Viking She left the area as ordered, and a small boat carrying refugees who “panicked” when they saw help leaving came “five meters away” from the ship. Faced with this “extremely dangerous” situation, with the small boat in danger of capsizing, these migrants were finally rescued.
“We strictly respect maritime law,” the NGO’s co-founder continued, expressing his regret that the Italian authorities “did not even ask our crew for clarifications” upon their arrival. She added that SOS Méditerranée would file an appeal against this detention.
In response to a question from Agence France-Presse, the Italian Ministry of the Interior did not immediately respond.
Italy, which is on the front line facing crossings of migrants seeking to reach Europe, adopted a decree in early 2023 that partially hinders the activities of humanitarian NGO ships. The latter must now transport the rescued people to a specific port – often very far away – from the first operation, which de facto prevents them from carrying out a series of rescue operations.
M announcedI Beautiful. It was estimated that all humanitarian relief organizations thus lost the equivalent of a year at sea due to the distance from designated ports of disembarkation, and the equivalent of a year in detention periods.
SOS Méditerranée has rescued more than 39,000 people in the Mediterranean since 2016, most of them in the central Mediterranean.
In 2023, 3,041 migrants were reported missing after trying to cross the Mediterranean to reach Europe, and 128 since the beginning of the year, according to the International Organization for Migration.
