Italy blocks Sea-Watch 3 from leaving port on safety issues The Italian Coast Guard said that the ship operated by the German humanitarian group Sea Watch will not be allowed to leave port due to safety violations

MILAN -- The Italian Coast Guard says that the ship operated by the German humanitarian group Sea-Watch will not be allowed to leave port due to safety violations.

The Coast Guard said in a statement Friday that a series of violations were discovered during an inspection of the ship, and that the Sea-Watch 3 can leave only when resolved. The problems were not specified.

The ship was permitted to disembark 47 migrants rescued on Jan. 19 off Libya after other European nations agreed to take some in.

The standoff was another in a series since Italy's populist government adopted a policy of not allowing rescue ships to bring migrants to Italy's shores, in a bid to force EU partners to share the burden of arrivals.