EU faces new migrant boat crisis

‘Aquarius’ stranded for 2nd time in the Mediterranean

European countries faced pressure on Tuesday to resolve a fresh standoff with the operators of the migrant rescue ship Aquarius which is stranded for the second time in the Mediterranean carrying 141 people.

France said it was in touch with other EU nations to “rapidly” find a port where the Aquarius could dock after it was refused entry by Italy and Malta, the two countries closest to its current location.

The Aquarius, which was left stranded with 630 migrants on board in June after being turned away by Rome and Valletta, resumed rescue operations off the Libyan coast last week.

In a statement late on Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron’s office voiced disapproval of Italy’s “very tough political stance” – milder language than two months ago when he accused the populist government of “cynicism and irresponsibility.”

The 141 migrants on board the Aquarius were picked up on Friday in two separate operations and are in a stable condition, the French charity that operates the Aquarius, SOS Mediterranee, said.

In the first rescue, 25 people were plucked from a wooden boat bobbing on the seas off the Libyan coast, while another 116 were rescued from another larger vessel later in the day.

The second boat was overloaded and more than half of the passengers were unaccompanied children, mostly from Somalia and Eritrea. They had no food or water supplies at the time of their rescue, SOS Mediterranee said.

“We’re asking all European countries to find a solution. We’re asking them to be responsible and find a safe port in the Mediterranean,” Sophie Beau, head of charity, told AFP on Monday.

Tove Ernst, a spokesperson for the European Commission, said Monday that it was in contact with “a number of member states” to find a “swift resolution” to the standoff.

Since June, Italy’s new farright Interior Minister Matteo Salvini has regularly turned away rescue ships operated by foreign NGOs, accusing them of playing into the hands of people smugglers.

On Saturday, he said the Aquarius would “never see an Italian port” again, accusing it of encouraging smugglers and migrants to take to the water in the knowledge that they will be rescued.