The authorities in Malta took in all 58 migrants from the unregistered rescue ship Aquarius on Sunday, after France, Germany, Portugal and Spain agreed to distribute the group among themselves earlier this week.

"All migrants who disembarked in Malta will be transferred to four other European countries in the coming days," the Maltese government said in a statement.

While the deal was struck on Tuesday, Aquarius' approach to Malta was delayed due to bed weather. The vessel, run SOS Mediterranee and Doctors Without Borders (MSF) also faced bureaucratic obstacles after Panama revoked its registration on Monday.Without a flag to sail under, Aquarius loses the right to exit any port after docking.

The charities slammed the move as the result of pressure by Rome to force them to end their activities in the Mediterranean. Aquarius is currently the only privately-run ship still running rescue missions along the popular trafficking route.

In order to get around the issue, the ship transferred the migrants to a Maltese patrol boat in international waters on Sunday, with the boat carrying them to port. The ship itself is set to return to its home port of Marseille to "deal with flag registration," Doctors Without Borders said on Sunday.

'European solution'

The group includes 18 children, 17 women, 23 men, and a dog, rescued at sea alongside its Libyan family. The UN's refugee agency UNHCR said it was still unclear which of the migrants would go to which country.

France, Germany, Portugal and Spain have said they will accept migrants aboard the Aquarius rescue ship under a deal described as a "European solution" by French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe.



His Cabinet colleague, Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire, had insisted that Malta handle disembarkation; under European rules, the ship was supposed to dock at the nearest port, in this case Malta.

France has said it will take in 18 migrants, while Germany and Spain will each welcome 15, a French government source told the news agency AFP on Tuesday.

Portugal said it will take 10 migrants, and added that it was still pushing for an "integrated, stable and definitive European solution."

Watch video 42:34 Share Outsourcing border controls to Africa Send Facebook google+ Whatsapp Tumblr linkedin stumble Digg reddit Newsvine Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/35KS7 Outsourcing border controls to Africa

Last ship left

The ship is the only privately run rescue vessel left operating amid a tightening legal stranglehold imposed by Mediterranean nations, including Italy's populist government, and coast guard units in Libya, where refugees typically venture onto the water.

So far this year at least 1,260 migrants have died trying to make the crossing, according to the International Organization for Migration. Attempted crossings since January have been estimated at 38,140, compared to 121,000 in 2017.

Transfers from crowded Lesbos camp

In a parallel development, some 400 asylum seekers arrived in Greece's main port of Piraeus earlier this week from the overcrowded Moria migrant camp on Lesbos.

The migrants, mainly from Syria, Afghanistan and African nations, were to be transferred to other camps and accommodation on the Greek mainland.

Charities had slammed conditions at Moria, citing cases of sexual attacks, deplorable sanitation and an increase in suicide attempts among camp residents.

NGO ship rescues Europe-bound migrants in Mediterranean First on site At around 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 31, the search-and-rescue vessel Aquarius, along with the Libyan coast guard, was alerted by the Italian Rescue Maritime Coordination Center (IMRCC) that a rubber boat was in distress in international waters. Aquarius is manned by rescue workers from SOS Mediteranee, medics from Doctors Without Borders (MSF) and a nautical and technical crew.

NGO ship rescues Europe-bound migrants in Mediterranean People in distress Aquarius made first contact with the rubber boat in international waters at around 11:00 a.m. Soon after, the SOS head coordinator was informed by IMRCC that the Libyan coastguard would take charge of the rescue operation. As people in the overcrowded rubber boat, visibly in distress, waved frantically, Aquarius was instructed to standby and wait for further instructions.

NGO ship rescues Europe-bound migrants in Mediterranean Helping hand Two hours later, and with no Libyan coastguard in sight, the Aquarius was able to convince the IMRCC and the Libyans to allow them to rescue children, women and families. They evacuated 39 vulnerable people. They had to leave the remaining 80-90 men on the rubber boat to the Libyan coastguard. The Aquarius has the capacity to carry 500 rescued people.

NGO ship rescues Europe-bound migrants in Mediterranean All in it together MSF nurse Sylvie was on board the Aquarius' fast-speed rescue boat, whose personnel identified medical and vulnerable cases later evacuated to the NGO ship. Over the course of three missions, the staff saved 292 people from more than 20 countries, the majority from sub-Saharan Africa. Besides showing signs of dehydration, exhaustion and weakness, some also displayed signs of physical abuse.

NGO ship rescues Europe-bound migrants in Mediterranean Having fun As parents rested on the ship's deck, MSF logistician Francois took a moment to interact with the newly arrived children. Those rescued got a chance to bond with the ship's crew as well as to express themselves in safe and secure surroundings.

NGO ship rescues Europe-bound migrants in Mediterranean Doctor's orders Dr. Dan from California gave each new arrival a check-up to see whether anyone was in need of urgent medical care. Once on land, those rescued are examined by local medical staff in Italy.

NGO ship rescues Europe-bound migrants in Mediterranean Holding tight in rough weather As the vessel pitched and rolled in strong winds, SOS Mediteranee team member Theo cuddled a child rescued the day before. "As a seaman it's your duty to save anybody in distress," he said. "We all shed tears yesterday. I had a baby and children in my arms. We helped some women. What's the most important is to get all these out people out of the water, to save them and for them to survive."

NGO ship rescues Europe-bound migrants in Mediterranean Thanking the Lord As the Aquarius approached the Sicilian city of Messina, the designated Italian port of safety, many of the rescued women began singing French and English gospel songs praising the Lord and thanking him for safe passage across the Mediterranean Sea.

NGO ship rescues Europe-bound migrants in Mediterranean On terra firma Francois personally helped all 292 men, women and children disembark. "Emotionally it was really hard, because once the last guy stepped out on shore, it was over. I could just call everyone and say disembarkation successfully finished, and then I felt empty."

NGO ship rescues Europe-bound migrants in Mediterranean Thank-you kiss These lucky people made it to Europe. According to international NGOs figures, between 750,000 and 900,000 immigrants and asylum-seekers remain trapped in Libya, whose migrant detention centers the UN has called inhumane. Many see merely one way out: to attempt to cross one of the world's most deadly seas in rubber dinghies that can only be considered floating death traps. Author: Filip Warwick



ipj/cmk (AP, AFP, dpa)

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