The humanitarian rescue ship Louise
Michel, funded by the British artist Banksy, was detained in the
port of Lampedusa on Sunday in relation to alleged breaches of
new rules for ships operated by non-governmental organizations
performing search and rescue in the central Mediterranean.
"We know of dozens of boats in distress right in front of the
island at this very moment, yet we are being prevented from
assisting. This is unacceptable!" the crew said in a tweet.
The Louise Michel had been instructed to head to Trapani after
performing a first rescue operation in Libyan waters on
Saturday, according to an Italian Coast Guard press release
issued Sunday afternoon.
However, rather than proceeding directly to the assigned port
the ship reportedly headed towards three more boats in distress
in Maltese waters, which where already being rescued by the
Coast Guard.
The Louise Michel later disembarked a total of180 rescued people
in Lampedusa.
"With the situation at sea, holding a rescue ship in port while
women, men and children risk dying is absurd: this is not about
slogans, but about human lives that can and should be saved,"
Luca Casarini, chief of mission of Mediterranea Saving Human,
another SAR NGO, told ANSA.
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