Due to a gathering storm, the rescue ship of the German aid organization Sea-Watch is heading for Italy. "The east of Sicily is the only place where we are protected first before the storm (...)," said Sea Watch spokesman Ruben Neugebauer the news agency dpa. But there is no entry permit for the "Sea-Watch 3" - neither in Italy nor in Malta.
"The Sea-Watch3 seeks protection against waves up to 7 meters high, rain and icy wind," wrote the German aid organization Twitter, followed by the appeal: "Europe, we need a safe haven!" Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini reiterated that his country's ports are closed to rescue vessels.
For those who can hardly imagine 7m wave in #Mittelmeer:
From 2m it is uncomfortable on the # SeaWatch3.
From 4m it gets quiet on the ship; who can, stays in bed.
From 5m we start to worry.
6m and more: We need a #PortOfSafety, now! pic.twitter.com/lHPERm7P6o
The Dutch flagged support ship "Sea Watch 3" had taken in the immigrants and asylum seekers on Saturday off the Libyan coast. Since then, the closest EU countries, Malta and Italy, have refused to dock the ship despite the approaching storm. According to maritime tracking websites, the "Sea Watch 3" was last in the direction of Sicily.
Italy's Deputy Prime Minister, Luigi Di Maio of the populist five-star movement, called on the crew of the ship to set course for France and land inmates in Marseille - "instead of waiting in Italian waters for days on end" ,
Twenty humanitarian non-governmental organizations, including Save the Children, Amnesty International and Doctors Without Borders, made an urgent appeal to Italy and Europe: people must be "immediately put in a safe haven". Security and protection of human life would be a "top priority". Italy and the whole of Europe are responsible for the fact that no "new tragedies" occurred on the sea.