The 180 migrants of the “Ocean Viking” finally in Sicily, quarantined on a boat

Migrants, wearing anti-Covid protective masks, prepare to disembark in the Sicilian port of Porto Empedocle, on the evening of July 6, 2020. Shahzad ABDUL / AFP

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It is the outcome of almost two weeks of waiting for the 180 migrants rescued in the Mediterranean Sea by the Ocean Viking, the rescue boat of the humanitarian organization SOS Mediterranean. Authorized this Monday at the end of the day to enter the port of Porto Empedocle, in the south of Sicily, they were finally transferred to another boat to be placed there in quarantine.

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With our correspondent in Palermo, Cécile Debarge

It was only late in the evening on Monday that the harbor master of the port of Porto Empedocle finally authorized the Ocean Viking to approach the Todaro quay and therefore the mainland.

It took almost a day for the crew of the humanitarian organization SOS Mediterranean to finally receive instructions from the authorities, due to the epidemic of Covid-19 and the state of health emergency still in force in Italy.

Porto Empedocle is not officially considered a safe port. After nearly twelve days of wandering at sea, this city in the south of Sicily is finally the only one to have authorized the rescue boat to disembark the 180 migrants rescued in the Mediterranean.

The rough weather for the past 48 hours, with waves almost two meters high, has accelerated a decision that neither Malta nor Italy wanted to make. No question, however, of landing the survivors on dry land have warned the Italian authorities.

The 180 migrants rescued by the Ocean Viking will therefore be subject to quarantine, aboard the Moby Zaza , a boat chartered by the civil protection in order to avoid any contagion.

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  • International Migration
  • Italy

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