Migrant rescue NGO Sea Watch on Monday
called on the Italian authorities to allow its Sea Watch 5
vessel to disembark 70 rescued migrants and refugees at a nearby
port after being assigned Reggio Calabria, four days' sailing
away.
"Last night we rescued 70 people travelling on two boats in
distress. They are now all safe on board the Sea-Watch 5," said
Sea Watch Italia on X.
"The Italian authorities have assigned Reggio Calabria as the
port of disembarkation, and it would take us four days to reach
it.
"At the moment, however, four-metre waves are blocking the route
northwards and it is not safe to continue. Our priority is the
safety of the people on board, and while we are seeking shelter
near Lampedusa we are asking the authorities to assign us a
nearer port of disembarkation," continued the humanitarian NGO.
Last year the government of Premier Giorgia Meloni began a
practice of sending NGO rescue ships operating in the Central
Mediterranean to ports far from the search and rescue area,
ostensibly in order to take pressure off Sicilian ports and
reception facilities.
However, the move, combined with a new ban on conducting
multiple rescues, has meant that the NGO boats are often away
from the search and rescue area for long periods and operate way
below their maximum capacity.
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