Rescue ship awaits port access in migrant standoff in Mediterranean
Migrant ship arrives in Lampedusa, Italy
Two charities runningrescuemissions in the Mediterranean Sea have said Italy has ignored requests to allow theirshipto bring 356migrants ashore, exposing Europe'slatestfailure to deal with African migration.
The Norwegian-flaggedship,OceanViking, already stranded at sea for 13 days awaitingportaccess, has been denied entry by Malta and its two requests to Italian authorities have gone unanswered, they said.
Theshipis carrying mostly Africans from Sudan, plucked from the sea in four separate missions.
They include more than 100 minors, around 90 of them unaccompanied, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said.
Three children are under the age of five.
The plight of theOceanViking, run by MSF and another French charity, SOS Méditerranée, threatens to create another migrationstandoffwith Italy if it chooses to head there, after weeks of controversy involving another charity-runrescueship.
Around 100migrants were stranded off Italy for almost three weeks on the Open Arms until a prosecutor intervened and ordered them brought ashore against Interior Minister Matteo Salvini's wishes.
Five of Italy's EU partners will take them in.
"This is shameful," said Jay Berger, project coordinator for MSF, speaking by satellite phone from theOceanViking, in international waters between Malta and the southern Italian island of Linosa.
"Leavingmigrants onrescueboats for weeks until the crisis becomes an emergency is becoming the new norm," he said.
"We're not trying to force our way into Italian or Maltese waters. We're waiting for a solution but it is taking too long."
Theshiprequestedportaccessto Italian authorities on Aug. 9 and Aug. 12, the charities said.
An Italian TransportMinistry spokesman declined to comment. Italy's Foreign Ministry did not respond immediately to an email seeking comment.
Rome has banned entry to privaterescueships, which operate off Libya in international waters close to Italy. Salvini calls them "taxis" for people-smugglers and says Italy should not be "Europe's refugee camp".
SUPPLIES RUNNING DOWN
Aboard theOceanViking, supplies are running down and the crew has begun to ration showers to conserve water, said Frédéric Penard, SOS Mediterranee's director of operations.
"Arescueshipis like an ambulance. People should be transported but not living on it," MSF's Berger said, adding that there was no certainty those on board could endure the wait Open Arms experienced, which would mean another week at sea.
The European Commission has invited EU member states to show more "solidarity" and agree to take inmigrants aboard theOceanViking, a spokeswoman said on Wednesday.
Noportexcept for Tripoli has welcomed theship, the charities say.
They regard the Libyanportas unsafe and fear themigrants would be thrown into detention centres and suffer human rights abuses if returned to the country.
Luca Pigozzi, a doctor on board, said that while mostmigrants were in a stable physical condition, he feared the impact of psychological damage caused by violence suffered when fleeing their home country.
"The situation on board is becoming tenser," he said.
Libya is a hub formigrants and refugees, many of whom try to reach Europe in unseaworthy boats, fleeing violence and dire poverty in Africa for a better life in Europe.
So far this year, more than 600 people have died trying to make the crossing.
Malta turned down theOceanVikingrequests saying it could not take the lead on any disembarkment.
A Malta government spokesman said there was "no new update" on theOceanVikingand declined to comment further.
French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner has said Paris is ready to take in 40 people fromOceanViking. "Talks are underway with our European partners and I discussed the matter yesterday with my counterpart in Malta," he said on Twitter.
Norway, where theOceanVikingis registered, has rejected a French request to take some of themigrants, Justice Minister Joeran Kallmyr told broadcaster NRK late on Tuesday.