A group of 27 refugees who were trapped for 38 days on a ship of the Danish company Maersk was admitted to Sicily in Italy on Saturday evening.
The refugees were transferred from the Maersk Etienne to an Italian rescue ship. That ship was eventually allowed to moor at the Sicilian town of Pozzallo. Which reports shipping company Maersk Sunday on Twitter.
The captain of the tanker Maersk Etienne says he received a request from the Maltese authorities on 5 August to help with a crowded ship with refugees that had run into problems. A pregnant woman and a child were said to have been on board. The boat with the refugees was at that time about 130 kilometers north of the Libyan coast.
After the tanker received the refugees, the Maltese government refused to allow them to dock. After this, the tanker bobbed at sea for nearly 40 days. On September 6, three migrants who jumped off the ship in desperation were rescued. According to ship employees, other refugees also began to hurt themselves. It is unclear how the refugees are currently doing.
The Maltese government says it has never submitted a request for assistance to the Maersk Etienne. Malta, Libya and Italy soon announced that they did not want to receive the group, because the problems with the ship took place outside their waters. Italy eventually went overboard.
For years, Italy was the main port of arrival for thousands of asylum seekers and migrants, who often dared the risky crossing in rickety boats. However, the number of migrants leaving Libya in boats decreased dramatically as Italy took tougher action against smuggling networks.
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