Overview

• After rescuing ten people off Libya, the NGO ship Mediterranea docked in Trapani on Saturday night despite an Interior Ministry assignment to Genoa roughly 600 nautical miles away.
• Mediterranea said onboard doctors and Italy’s CIRM certified urgent medical and psychological needs, and the group accepted potential legal consequences for disregarding the official port order.
• The disembarked group included Kurds from Iran and Iraq, Egyptians and Syrians, with three unaccompanied minors, and the NGO reported four others drowned after traffickers forced people into the sea.
• Italian authorities may pursue fines, an administrative detention of the vessel, or judicial action under the 2023 Piantedosi measures that penalize noncompliance with assigned ports.
• SOS Méditerranée said Ocean Viking, directed to Marina di Carrara about 1,300 km from the rescue area, later came under fire from Libya’s coast guard in international waters, sharing photos of damage and reporting crew and 87 survivors unharmed.