According to an Open Arms spokesperson, the seizure will prevent the ship from sailing for at least 20 days, and the captain was questioned. The organization is said to have violated the rules of a recent Italian decree by not immediately returning to a port after a rescue operation. This means that ships cannot perform multiple rescue operations in succession.
According to Open Arms, the people rescued on Saturday were “extremely vulnerable” and it is the “duty of every captain to help shipwrecked people who are in mortal danger”. The NGO expects a fine of up to 10,000 euros.
In August, the Open Arms boat was also seized for the same reason, along with two boats from other organizations that do similar work. Rescue ships were also detained earlier this year.
The Italian government of Giorgia Meloni is trying to reduce illegal migration across the Mediterranean and believes that rescue organizations are standing in the way of that policy. The presence of rescue ships would ensure that people are encouraged to make the dangerous crossing. The aid organizations say that regardless of their presence, the migrants take to the sea to reach Europe and that they can prevent deaths with the rescue operations.
This year, 135,000 migrants have already arrived in Italy, compared to 72,400 in the same period last year.
LOOK. The Italian island of Lampedusa is the refuge for African migrants