M/T Salamis, via MarineTraffic
VALLETTA/BRUSSELS, Aug 6 (Reuters) – Malta said on Tuesday it would not allow a tanker which picked up 102 migrants off the Libyan coast to dock, despite a call from the European Union for it to do so on humanitarian grounds.
National Security Minister Manuel Mallia told a press conference that the captain of the Liberian-registered Salamis had ignored instructions by Malta and Italy to take the migrants back to Libya.
He said the migrants were picked up 24 miles (39 km) off the Libyan coast and they should have been returned to Libya, which was the nearest safe harbour when the rescue was made. Malta first said on Monday that it was refusing entry to the tanker.
Earlier on Tuesday, EU Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom said in Brussels that the master of the Salamis had fulfilled his humanitarian duties and the ship was now closest to Malta.
Mallia said the migrants were not in distress on the tanker. Maltese doctors who visited the ship concluded medical evacuations were not necessary.
Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, on the social media site Twitter, said: “#Malta fulfils int’l obligations but can’t be expected to step in for irresponsible shipowners flouting rules for commercial purposes -JM”.
The ship’s owners, Mantinia Shipping, are insisting the tanker was never instructed by the Italians, or any authority, to proceed to a Libyan port.
The migrants include four pregnant women, one injured woman and a five-month-old baby, the EU’s executive Commission said.
The Mediterranean island is facing a record influx of African migrants, with 1,000 arriving in the past month alone.
The Commission said the priority was to save lives and any dispute about which country was responsible for rescuing the migrants or where they should land should be sorted out later. (Reporting by Adrian Croft in Brussels and Chris Scicluna in Malta; Editing by Michael Roddy)
(c) 2013 Thomson Reuters, All Rights Reserved
Join the gCaptain Club for curated content, insider opinions, and vibrant community discussions.
Join the 105,923 members that receive our newsletter.
Have a news tip? Let us know.
ROME (Reuters) – An Italian judge on Friday cleared three migrant sea rescue charities that had been accused of abetting irregular immigration in complicity with human traffickers, throwing out a case opened...
(Bloomberg) — The closure of one of the East Coast’s busiest ports after the collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge has so far not led to broad price increases,...
(Bloomberg) — An Iranian ship that’s been linked to Houthi attacks in the Red Sea is returning home, removing a prominent asset in the area as the Islamic Republic braces...
Access exclusive insights, engage in vibrant discussions, and gain perspectives from our CEO.
Sign Up
Maritime and offshore news trusted by our 105,923 members delivered daily straight to your inbox.
Essential news coupled with the finest maritime content sourced from across the globe.
Sign Up
Join The Club
