Aid ship carrying over 400 migrants sent all around Sicily to dock

dpa Rome Italy sent the aid ship Sea-Eye 4, with more than 400 migrants on board, to dock in the Sicilian town of Pozzallo on Thursday, even though the ve...

dpaRome Italy sent the aid ship Sea-Eye 4, with more than 400 migrants on board, to dock in the Sicilian town of Pozzallo on Thursday, even though the vessel was headed for Palermo, on the other end of the Mediterranean island.The German operating organisation Sea-Eye on Thursday criticised the decision: “It is totally incomprehensible to us that Pozzallo should be the nearest safe haven for people when we are in Palermo,” Sea-Eye spokesperson Gorden Isler told dpa.He said the measure could be classified as “harassment.” According to Italian news agency ANSA, the Italian authorities officially assigned the port south-east of Ragusa on Wednesday evening, after the ship, carrying a total of 415 boat migrants, was already en route to Palermo, whose mayor had offered to help.“The rescued migrants, including about 150 children as well as pregnant women, will have to spend two additional nights on the ship due to the journey,” Isler said, speculating that Rome was intent on delaying the organization’s mission in the future.The Sea-Eye 4 had rescued the migrants in several operations during the past days.Meanwhile on Thursday, the Italian authorities provisionally released another vessel, the Sea-Watch 3, after holding it for 59 days, its German operator announced on Twitter.The coastguard had grounded the ship in March in the Sicilian port of Augusta, citing security concerns. Now Sea-Watch 3 has been granted a “one-off” licence to sail to Spain, the tweet read.Refugees and migrants repeatedly attempt the dangerous crossing to Europe from Libya, often trying to reach Italy as the first point of entry.