Rescue ship with 150 migrants aboard stranded in the Mediterranean 

About 150 migrants were rescued in the Mediterranean after two separate operations by the Alan Kurdi ship off the coast of Libya on 6 April. But the rescue ship has since been denied permission to dock by Italy and Malta, leaving it stranded at sea. 

“The situation on board of the ALAN KURDI is getting more tense, as the rescue ship is not suitable for the indefinite accommodation of 150 people,” said Sea-Eye, the NGO that operates the ship, in a statement on 10 April.

The Italian government cited the coronavirus pandemic as a reason for the country not to be considered a place of safety for migrants.

TMP_13/04/2020

Photo Credit: iStock/Ranieri Meloni

Photo caption: Augusta, Sicily, Italy – December 11, 2013: Migrants stand in line at the Sicilian harbour of Augusta, near the Amphibious warfare ship San Marco.