As of: 07/09/2021 3:01 a.m.
The rescue ship “Ocean Viking” with more than 570 refugees on board is allowed to dock in Sicily. The operator organization had previously made an urgent appeal to the EU. There are also 183 minors on board.
A ship of the private organization SOS Méditerranée, the “Ocean Viking”, is allowed to enter the port of the city of Augusta in Sicily with more than 570 migrants on board. The organization announced that in the evening.
According to its own statements, the crew had asked the authorities in Malta and Italy to assign a safe harbor since Monday. On Wednesday, SOS Méditerranée, operator of the “Ocean Viking”, appealed to the European Union to find a safe haven.
The people on board the ship had to be brought ashore “as quickly as possible”. They suffered from dehydration and exhaustion. Among the refugees are 183 minors, “including children with a disability,” it said. “It is a great relief to know that your ordeal at sea is almost over,” the organization said.
Many other lifeboats laid down
The migrants had been rescued from distress in the central Mediterranean. The “Ocean Viking” was the only ship there for the last time in service by private organizations. Other ships are currently being detained by the authorities or are waiting to leave.
Most recently, the “Ocean Viking” brought more than 230 refugees to Sicily at the beginning of May. Many migrants from countries like Libya or Tunisia make their way to the EU, often in overcrowded boats. According to the International Organization for Migration, around 900 migrants have already died in the dangerous crossing over the Mediterranean since the beginning of the year. Experts also assume a high number of unreported cases.