Italian interior minister Matteo Salvini has proposed a bill to fine those who rescue refugees at sea up to €5,500 (£4,800) for every saved person.

The bill, which was announced by Mr Salvini on Friday, would present vessels with fines between €3,500 and €5,500 for each “foreigner” they deposit on Italian ground.

In the most serious cases, Italian vessels caught transporting rescued refugees would see their licences revoked or suspended.

Third-sector organisations blasted the bill as Italy’s “umpteenth attack on human life”, “bullying” and “bending of international law”.

“It’s like fining ambulances for bringing patients to hospital,” said Claudia Lodesani, president of Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) Italy, in a statement.

Breaking down cultural barriers between refugees and host nations Show all 10 1 /10 Breaking down cultural barriers between refugees and host nations Breaking down cultural barriers between refugees and host nations refugees-education-paddy-dowling-5.jpg Yasmin, 8, is from Rakhine State in Myanmar, now identifies herself as Malaysian. She has been enrolled at Dignity for two years and loves mathematics. Her best friend in School is Gloria who is a non-Rohingya from Myanmar. Charlotte Hodges Paddy Dowling Breaking down cultural barriers between refugees and host nations refugees-education-paddy-dowling-9.jpg Paddy Dowling Paddy Dowling Breaking down cultural barriers between refugees and host nations refugees-education-paddy-dowling-3.jpg David, 8, is from the Democratic Republic of Congo. He has been enrolled at the school for three years. He loves school and particularly enjoys maths. His dream is to become a pilot. When at school he plays with friends from Myanmar, Somalia, Chin & Malaysia. Charlotte Hodges Paddy Dowling Breaking down cultural barriers between refugees and host nations refugees-education-paddy-dowling-2.jpg The anticipated arrival of Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, becomes all too much to bare for Jude, 8. Charlotte Hodges Paddy Dowling Breaking down cultural barriers between refugees and host nations refugees-education-paddy-dowling-4.jpg Gloria, 8, is from Myanmar. She has attended Dignity School for two years. Her closest friend Rebecca is from the Chin state of former Burma. Her favourite subject in school is science and she really hopes to work as a fashion designer in the future. Charlotte Hodges Paddy Dowling Breaking down cultural barriers between refugees and host nations refugees-education-paddy-dowling-7.jpg Maryama, 7, from Somalia. The youngest of six siblings from her family, all of which, study at Dignity School. Her single mother working as a cleaner to provide for the family. Displaced to Malaysia as they were escaping the Al-Shabaab Militant group. Charlotte Hodges Paddy Dowling Breaking down cultural barriers between refugees and host nations refugees-education-paddy-dowling-6.jpg Siti, 7, from Myanmar, has been studying in Dignity since 2017. Her eldest sister has been enrolled at the school since 2014. Charlotte Hodges Paddy Dowling Breaking down cultural barriers between refugees and host nations refugees-education-paddy-dowling-8.jpg Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, founder and chairperson of EAA, arrives in Dignity school as she visits with High Commissioner for UNHCR Filippo Grandi. PADDY DOWLING Paddy Dowling Breaking down cultural barriers between refugees and host nations refugees-education-paddy-dowling-10.jpg A beneficiary at Dignity School, Kuala Lumpur, Stood in the doorway to ‘Sew Dignity’ one of the four vocational transformational enterprises run by the school. Paddy Dowling Paddy Dowling Breaking down cultural barriers between refugees and host nations refugees-education-paddy-dowling-1.jpg Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, founder and chairperson of EAA, talks to children in Dignity school as she visits with High Commissioner for UNHCR Filippo Grandi. Charlotte Hodges Paddy Dowling

“The new decree from the Italian government is threatening legal principles and the duty of saving lives at sea.”

But others doubted that part of the bill would become law precisely because it contradicts international maritime conventions.

“We don’t expect it to become any kind of piece of enforceable legislation,” says Frederic Penard, director of operations at SOS Mediterranee, which used to run the Aquarius boat together with MSF.

“Captains doing rescue at sea do not have a choice – it is an obligation,” he said, citing the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea of 1982.

Riccardo Gatti, head of mission at Open Arms, told The Independent he was “neither alarmed nor worried” about the bill.

Rescue ship Aquarius waits for port of safety for 141 migrants saved in the Mediterranean

“It would be a defeat of search and rescue missions and EU values,” he said. “But we have learned that Salvini’s objective is often to make some noise with some huge declarations that turn out to be false after some time.”

“Consequences would be severe but we wouldn’t stop SAR operations because of this. We’re acting in accordance with the law,” said Ruben Neugebauer of Sea-Watch, the aid group in charge of one of the only remaining rescue boats in the Central Mediterranean, between Italy and Libya.

The bill would need to be approved by the Italian cabinet before being turned into a decree. The decree would then be voted in the Italian parliament before it becomes law.

Mr Salvini’s party, the far-right League, forms a government coalition with the Five Star Movement, and the bill includes provisions to give Mr Salvini some powers currently held by a Five Star minister, which could hurt its chances of becoming law.

The bill also includes other measures to give more powers to the police and to introduce harsher penalties for resisting or offending officers.

Last year, Italy and Malta stepped up efforts to prevent third-sector rescue vessels from operating in the Mediterranean Sea. As a result, many aid groups have had to terminate search and rescue operations.

According to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), some 17,000 refugees have reached Europe via the Mediterranean Sea since the beginning of 2019, compared with some 32,000 during the same period last year.

But the death rate has risen dramatically, especially in the Central Mediterranean.

Some 307 people have gone missing or lost their lives trying to reach Italy and Malta this year, or one every eight who attempted the crossing.

The same figure was one every 50 last year.

“It is clear that crossing the Mediterranean is now more dangerous than ever,” IOM spokesperson Flavio Di Giacomo wrote on Twitter. “And saving lives at sea (and bringing migrants to a safe port, not Libya) should be the number one priority.”