Every year hundreds die trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea, now rescue crews worry European authorities are making it harder to save lives
Refugee and migrant rescue groups fear that European authorities are increasingly using maritime safety regulations to block ships from carrying out search and rescue operations in the Mediterranean.
The Open Arms was barred from leaving Porto Empedocle, a small city on the southern coast of Sicily, “until the technical and operational irregularities detected during the inspection have been corrected”, the Italian coast guard said. Around 15 migrants jumped off the ship, prompting the Spanish authorities to send a ship to collect them.It remains unclear if the Open Arms addressed these “anomalies”, or was allowed to leave the port. Neither the charity nor the Italian Coast Guard responded to requests for comment. Haidi Sadik, the spokesperson for Sea-Watch, another migrant rescue NGO which flies a Dutch flag, said that country’s Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management “imposed a new safety regulation in April”.
She claimed: “[The regulations are] strict and unnecessary … It wasn’t a proper legislative change. It was just a ministry imposing this on us.” On August 1, an appeals courtthat the new regulations’ “negative consequences of omitting a transitional period for the more stringent safety regulations on Sea-Watch’s ship, namely that people may drown due to limited rescue capacity in the Mediterranean Sea, outweigh” their purpose, according to a statement by Sea-Watch following the ruling.
The “policy change was one of the outcomes of the EU Summit on Migration in June 2018”, Sea-Watch said, citing documents which showed conversations about the charity’s search and rescue efforts began about a week before the event started.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Huge spike in migrants trying to make perilous journey to EuropeTurkish authorities report a 7-fold jump in the number of migrants attempting the dangerous sea crossing from Turkey to Greece in August.
Read more »
I Eloped at 25, Divorced at 26, and Dated My Way Across Europe All SummerBut the right guy may have been waiting for me back home the whole time.
Read more »
Tesla Intensifies Thrust Into Europe As Model 3 Enters U.K. MarketThe Tesla Model 3 is now on sale in Britain, completing its presence in Western Europe’s key markets with right-hand drive versions, and its impact on electric as well as conventional sports sedans moves up a gear.
Read more »
17 Things You Should Never Do In EuropeTravelers beware: The authorities in Europe are really cracking down.
Read more »
Spanish warship with migrants arrives in Spain after Italy rowA group of 15 rescued migrants arrived in Spain on board a Spanish warship on Fr...
Read more »