Italy Allows Temporary Berthing for 1 of 4 Refugee Boats Drifting for 2 Weeks

Over 140 Children, Women, and Injured Disembark at Catania Port on Sicily Island
NGO-Operated Refugee Rescue Ship Awaits Docking... Prime Minister Meloni Continues to Advocate 'Anti-Immigration Policy'

On the 6th (local time), police and Red Cross staff at the port of Catania on the island of Sicily, Italy, are preparing health checkups for migrants who disembarked from the 'Humanity 1'. Photo by EPA Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyunjung] The Italian government has allowed one of four refugee rescue ships stranded for two weeks near the waters off Sicily to temporarily dock, enabling 140 people including children, women, and the injured on board to disembark.

According to foreign media reports including dpa on the 6th (local time), out of 179 migrants aboard the refugee rescue ship 'Humanity 1' operated by the German relief organization SOS Humanity, 140 disembarked at the port of Catania, Sicily, from the night of the 5th to the 6th. SOS Humanity reported that children and women disembarked first, and some injured adult men also got off. Most adult men remain on board, with some undergoing medical examinations to determine if disembarkation is necessary.

On the 5th, the 'Humanity 1' appealed, "Due to severe weather, it is no longer safe to remain at sea," and "an immediate safe harbor is needed." In response, Matteo Piantedosi, Italy's Minister of the Interior, stated, "We respect humanitarian needs," but set the condition that except for those needing to disembark for health reasons such as pregnant women, children, and those with fever symptoms, the rest must remain on board, and after health checks are completed, the ship must leave Italian territorial waters. This means temporary docking is allowed for health examinations, not permission to enter the port. More than 100 of the 179 migrants aboard 'Humanity 1' are reported to be unaccompanied minors.

The Italian government claims, "Allowing 140 people to disembark was a decision made on humanitarian grounds only; the rest are the responsibility of the country where the rescue ship is registered." Currently, four refugee rescue ships operated by NGOs, including SOS Humanity, are waiting to dock near Sicily. These rescue ships have saved a total of 1,075 migrants drifting on boats in the central Mediterranean, but both Italy and Malta have refused entry, leaving them unable to set foot on land for nearly two weeks. The four rescue ships are registered in Germany and Norway.

Opinions differ among countries regarding the handling of migrants aboard refugee rescue ships. The German and Norwegian governments maintain that the Italian government, being the closest to the rescue ships, should accept the migrants. The French government has expressed willingness to share the migrants if Italy accepts the rescue ships but has not specified a clear distribution ratio.

Italian Prime Minister Meloni has shown a particularly tough stance on refugee rescue ships from the beginning. She criticized, "NGO refugee rescue ships act as 'shuttle buses' ferrying illegal migrants from Africa to Italy across the Mediterranean," and has consistently opposed allowing these ships to dock. However, migrants rescued by French commercial vessels and Italy’s own coast guard, rather than refugee rescue ships, are accepted into Italy. Meloni, who has advocated an 'anti-immigration policy' since before taking office, has also made extreme claims such as "the sea routes near Africa must be blocked to prevent illegal immigration."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.