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Migrants rescued by Danish tanker land in Italy after over a month at sea

The people aboard were "in serious psycho-physical conditions that make it impossible for them to stay on the petrol tanker", Mediterranea said after the transfer.

Reuters

Migrants sit in a boat alongside the Maersk Etienne tanker off the coast of Malta, in this handout image provided, August 19, 2020.

A group of migrants who had been blocked aboard a tanker in the Mediterranean for more than a month have been allowed to land in Sicily after Italy agreed to take them in.

The 25 people still at sea disembarked late on Saturday in the port town of Pozzallo, in Sicily, in southern Italy, due to health reasons, ending a "nightmare", the statement by NGO Mediterranea said.

🔵 At 19.25 today the IT MRCC @guardiacostiera and @Viminale have assigned #Pozzallo as the port for the disembarkation "due to health reasons" of the 25 people still aboard of the #MareJonio. After 40 days the nightmare is finally over for the castaways of the Maersk #Etienne
— Mediterranea Saving Humans (@RescueMed) September 12, 2020

"The longest and most shameful stand-off of European maritime history ends," Mediterranea tweeted after the landing.

🔵 At 22.40 today the 25 people that were transferred from the @maersktankers #Etienne to the #MareJonio landed in #Pozzallo.
This puts an end to the longest and most shameful stand-off in European maritime history. pic.twitter.com/tsEufBv5ho
— Mediterranea Saving Humans (@RescueMed) September 12, 2020

The migrants had been transferred on Friday to the Italian charity ship Mare Jonio, operated by Mediterranea, after being anchored off the coast of Malta on the Maersk Etienne - operated by Maersk Tankers - since August.

'Serious psycho-physical conditions'

The people aboard were "in serious psycho-physical conditions that make it impossible for them to stay on the petrol tanker", Mediterranea said after the transfer.

The Maersk Etienne's crew had rescued the migrants, including a pregnant woman, on August 4 near Malta from a wooden dinghy that had been at sea for days and sank immediately after the rescue operation.

Neither the Maltese, Italian nor Libyan authorities had let the migrants come ashore, according to Maersk Tankers, the operator of Maersk Etienne.

"This 40-day blockage is intolerable," French NGO SOS Mediterranee said on Twitter, calling on countries of the European Union to provide a solution for almost 300 migrants aboard a ship operated by Spanish group Open Arms.

For years Italy has been the primary route into Europe for hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers and other migrants, while Libya's west coast has been a main departure point for African migrants hoping to reach Europe.

Numbers started falling due to an Italian-led effort to disrupt smuggling networks and support the Libyan coast guard to intercept boats, but have picked up in 2020.

SOURCE: Reuters