The Rise Above, a humanitarian ship rescuing migrants in the Mediterranean, docked in Sicily this morning after being given the go-ahead from Italian authorities, the German non-governmental organization (NGO) Mission Lifeline announced.
“The odyssey of the 89 survivors and nine crew members seems to be over. Rise Above has entered the port of Reggio Calabria. Let’s hope all goes well and everyone can board.” wrote the NGO on the social network Twitter.
All survivors disembarked.
@sev_lionne pic.twitter.com/jgh7cxlcRh– MISSION LIFELINE INTERNATIONAL (@lifeline_intl) Nov 8, 2022
Four migrants were rescued Sunday for medical reasons from the ship, small compared to the other three NGO boats, with about 500 people on board, which lie off the coast of Italy, which maintains strict restrictions or even a ban on landing.
After weeks at sea, the German-flagged ship Humanity 1, owned by the NGO SOS Humanity, was allowed to dock in Catania on Sunday to disembark 144 people, mostly women and minors.
However, there are 35 adult male migrants on board that Italy has not admitted to the country.
The Geo Barentsz, a Norwegian-flagged MSF ship, also docked in Catania on Sunday evening and Italian authorities authorized the disembarkation of 357 people, including children, and refused entry to a further 215.
The desperation of those stranded on board had resulted in three migrants rescued by Geo Barents jumping overboard on Monday.
The Ocean Viking, owned by the European NGO SOS Méditerranée, which also flies the Norwegian flag, has not yet managed to enter an Italian port and sailed off the coast of Syracuse this morning, an onboard photographer told France-Presse news agency. .
“The situation aboard the Ocean Viking became unbearable for 234 survivors. After 17 days on board, their mental health is seriously compromised: many suffer from insomnia and show clear signs of anxiety and depression,” the NGO warned on Monday.
On the same day, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) urged European governments to safely disembark the hundreds of rescued migrants stranded on NGO ships. let go, with shared responsibilities.
Most of the 88,000 people who arrived in Italy by sea this year have been rescued by the Italian Coast Guard and other Italian state-led rescue ships or have arrived autonomously, UNHCR and IOM reveal in the statement.
Italy’s new government has pledged to crack down on immigrants. Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi said migrants rescued at sea are the responsibility of the state under whose flag the boats are flying.
At least 1,337 people have disappeared along the central Mediterranean migration route this year, according to the IOM’s Missing Migrants Project.
Source: DN
