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.
[smlsubform prepend=”GET THE SAFETY4SEA IN YOUR INBOX!” showname=false emailtxt=”” emailholder=”Enter your email address” showsubmit=true submittxt=”Submit” jsthanks=false thankyou=”Thank you for subscribing to our mailing list”]
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 four other European Union states.
It is clear how many migrants Spain and Germany will take in, but Reuters reported that France would take 18.
The Aquarius would head to Marseille once its passengers had disembarked. France had initially declined Aquarius to dock in Marseille, saying that under European rules, the ship was supposed to dock at the nearest port, i.e Malta.
The Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini noted that the Aquarius had obstructed the work of the Libyan coast guard and Italy’s ports would remain closed.
Last month, France and Malta agreed to let the Aquarius dock in Valletta, as France, Germany, Luxembourg, Portugal and Spain agreed to receive the migrants.
Aquarius 2 is the one remaining charity rescue vessel still operating in the central Mediterranean. However, Panama revoked its registration, meaning that once it docks it will be de-flagged and unable to sail.
