Libya

Italy orders seizure of migrant rescue vessel

Italy ordered the seizure of the migrant rescue vessel ‘Aquarius’, after accusing the Doctors without Borders (MSF) of illegally dumping toxic waste in south Italy. Responding on the accusations, MSF said that this is an attempt by Italy to undermine migrant rescue efforts.

As Reuters reported, Italy accused MSF for dumping waste at ports in south Italy, and ordered ‘Aquarius’ to be seized. However, the charity responded that Italy made those accusations to undermine the rescue efforts.

According...

https://safety4sea.com/italy-orders-seizure-of-migrant-rescue-vessel/

Migrants refuse to disembark from ship in Libya

The RoRo Nivin, with Panamanian flag, rescued, last week, 81 maritime migrants but 79 of them refuse to disembark from the ship off the coast of Misrata in Libya. The migrants refuse to disembark in Misrata as a result of the fear of being sent back to Libyan detention camps.

On 10 November, the cargo ship reached the port of Misrata (187 km east of Tripoli), carrying 95 refugees and migrants who were rescued 115 miles east of Tripoli, after leaving Libya on a raft. The migrants, subsequently...

https://safety4sea.com/migrants-refuse-to-disembark-from-ship-in-libya/

UN to allow inspections of vessels suspected of smuggling migrants off Libya

The UN Security Council decided to renew for one year, its authorization allowing Member States to inspect vessels on the high seas off the coast of Libya, as long as there are reasonable grounds for suspicion that they are being used for smuggling migrants or human trafficking.

The 15-member Council condemned all acts of migrant smuggling and human trafficking into, through and from the territory, and off the coast, of Libya.

Thus, the Council decided to renew, for 12 months, a set of...

https://safety4sea.com/un-to-allow-inspections-of-vessels-suspected-of-smuggling-migrants-off-libya/

France, Portugal, Spain, Germany to receive Aquarius vessel migrants

France, Portugal, Spain and Germany agreed to take in migrants from the Mediterranean rescue ship Aquarius sailing off the coast of Malta, France said, after Italy refused to let the vessel dock.

Portugal will take 10 of the 58 migrants on board as part of a response of solidarity to the flow of migrants seeking to reach Europe across the Mediterranean.

According to Malta, a patrol boat will transfer the migrants in international waters and then to the island, from where they will be sent to the...

https://safety4sea.com/france-portugal-spain-germany-to-receive-aquarius-vessel-migrants/

Panama unflags last migrant rescue ship in central Mediterranean

The Panama Maritime Authority has revoked the registration of the search and rescue ship ‘Aquarius 2’, the one remaining charity rescue vessel still operating in the central Mediterranean Sea. This means that there will be no charity rescue ships off the Libyan coast in the near future, unless the vessel can find a new flag to sail under.

The vessel is currently underway with 58 survivors onboard, but the decision by the Panama Authority (PMA) means that once the ship comes into port it will be...

https://safety4sea.com/panama-unflags-last-migrant-rescue-ship-in-central-mediterranean/

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