A rescue ship funded by the United Kingdom-based street artist, Banksy was seized by Italy’s coast guard in Lampedusa, on Sunday (March 26). This comes after the MV Louise Michel ship reportedly&nbsp;ignored its instructions to head to Sicily following a migrant rescue operation. Meanwhile, NGO Louise Michel took to Twitter and said that its ship was seized due to the violation of Italy’s new law and it will fight the decision.&nbsp;

A report by Reuters citing the Italian coast guard said that they had ordered the MV Louise Michel ship to dock in Trapani in Sicily following a rescue operation it conducted in Libya’s Search And Rescue area. However, the ship instead went to assist migrants on three other boats in Malta’s Search And Rescue area, adding that they were already en route to the area to assist at the time.&nbsp;

The coast guard had asked the 30-metre-long vessel,&nbsp;Louise Michel, named after a French feminist anarchist, to dock in line with Italy’s new law which established a code of conduct for migrant charity ships, a move which has garnered criticism from the United Nations as well as other humanitarian groups.&nbsp;

In accordance with the new law, Louise Michel was asked to dock in Lampedusa late on Saturday with 178 migrants on board, said the coast guard. It added&nbsp;that they wanted to prevent the boat from taking too many people on board and risking their safety. The NGO Louise Michel has since taken to Twitter and said that 24 hours after they were informed that their ship is being detained they do not have an “official written justification for the detention”.&nbsp;

It added, “We know of dozens of boats in distress right in front of the island at this very moment, yet we are being prevented from assisting. This is unacceptable!” The group also went on to blame European authorities for “rendering assistance” and referred to the several lives lost during two shipwrecks yesterday.&nbsp;

At least 29 migrants from sub-Saharan Africa died when their two boats sank off the coast of Tunisia when they were reportedly trying to cross the Mediterranean to Italy, said the Tunisian authorities, on Sunday. Meanwhile, the Italian coast guard said that in the past 48 hours or so they have coordinated rescue operations for 58 boats and helped more than 3,000 people, reported Reuters. 
 
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A rescue ship funded by the United Kingdom-based street artist, Banksy was seized by Italy’s coast guard in Lampedusa, on Sunday (March 26). This comes after the MV Louise Michel ship reportedly ignored its instructions to head to Sicily following a migrant rescue operation.

A rescue ship funded by the United Kingdom-based street artist, Banksy was seized by Italy’s coast guard in Lampedusa, on Sunday (March 26). This comes after the MV Louise Michel ship reportedly ignored its instructions to head to Sicily following a migrant rescue operation. Meanwhile, NGO Louise Michel took to Twitter and said that its ship was seized due to the violation of Italy’s new law and it will fight the decision. A report by Reuters citing the Italian coast guard said that they had ordered the MV Louise Michel ship to dock in Trapani in Sicily following a rescue operation it conducted in Libya’s Search And Rescue area. However, the ship instead went to assist migrants on three other boats in Malta’s Search And Rescue area, adding that they were already en route to the area to assist at the time. The coast guard had asked the 30-metre-long vessel, Louise Michel, named after a French feminist anarchist, to dock in line with Italy’s new law which established a code of conduct for migrant charity ships, a move which has garnered criticism from the United Nations as well as other humanitarian groups. In accordance with the new law, Louise Michel was asked to dock in Lampedusa late on Saturday with 178 migrants on board, said the coast guard. It added that they wanted to prevent the boat from taking too many people on board and risking their safety. The NGO Louise Michel has since taken to Twitter and said that 24 hours after they were informed that their ship is being detained they do not have an “official written justification for the detention”. It added, “We know of dozens of boats in distress right in front of the island at this very moment, yet we are being prevented from assisting. This is unacceptable!” The group also went on to blame European authorities for “rendering assistance” and referred to the several lives lost during two shipwrecks yesterday. At least 29 migrants from sub-Saharan Africa died when their two boats sank off the coast of Tunisia when they were reportedly trying to cross the Mediterranean to Italy, said the Tunisian authorities, on Sunday. Meanwhile, the Italian coast guard said that in the past 48 hours or so they have coordinated rescue operations for 58 boats and helped more than 3,000 people, reported Reuters. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

British artist Banksy’s migrant rescue ship seized by Italian officials

A migrant rescue boat financed by Banksy called for help after it was stranded in the Mediterranean Sea. After which Italian coastguard came forward to help Banksy's boat.

Italian coastguard helps rescue boat funded by Banksy

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