The German rescue ship „Sea-Watch 4“ was arrested by the Italian authorities in the port of the Sicilian capital Palermo overnight. The decision was taken after an eleven-hour inspection, announced the German NGO Sea-Watch on Twitter.
“The inspectors spent eleven hours looking for a needle in a haystack and once again found absurd reasons to arrest us. With this arbitrary blockade, the Italian coast guard is deliberately putting human lives at risk, ”protested the aid organization.
„Sea-Watch“ complained that four rescue ships from various NGOs had already been arrested in Sicily. „This is not about ship safety, but about the systematic prevention of rescue operations,“ criticized the aid organization. The NGO reported that a ship with several refugees on board capsized off the Libyan coast. A fishing boat saved 21 people. 33 more migrants are still waiting for help. According to the NGO, they could still be alive.
