Italy
Migration: “Ocean Viking” may land in the Adriatic port of Ravenna
The Italian authorities have assigned the rescue ship “Ocean Viking”, operated by the aid organization SOS Mediterranee, to the Adriatic port of Ravenna for landing. There are 113 migrants on board the ship.
The Italian authorities have assigned the rescue ship “Ocean Viking”, operated by the aid organization SOS Mediterranee, to the Adriatic port of Ravenna for landing. There are 113 migrants on board the ship. (archive image)
They were rescued by a dinghy in the Mediterranean on Monday evening. There are also three small children on board, the NGO reported.
The Ministry of the Interior in Rome had initially assigned the “Ocean Viking” to the port of La Spezia in the northern Italian region of Liguria on Tuesday. A few hours later, the landing was ordered in the Adriatic port city of Ravenna, 900 nautical miles from the point where the rescue ship is located, the NGO said.
The aid organization reported that it was “relieved” that the rescued migrants could disembark. At the same time, she is also “concerned” about other boats that are in trouble in the Mediterranean. At the moment, the “Ocean Viking” is the only NGO ship operating in the Mediterranean.
The Italian government around Giorgia Meloni wants to pass a decree by the end of this week that will make it more difficult for rescue ships to land in southern Italy. The cabinet wants to limit systematic rescue operations by NGO ships that bring migrants to Italy. Rescued refugees should submit their asylum application on board the rescue ships, which should be taken over by the flag state of the ship.
(SDA)