Aquarius

SOS Méditerranée on Dec 6 was forced to terminate the humanitarian mission of the "Aquarius" due to political pressure and criminalization of the organisation. The company however planned to aquire another ship for the rescue of migrants. The ship has been berthed in Marseille since Sep 4. The decision to stop the operation of the "Aquarius" was the result of a "constant denigration, smearing and obstruction campaign led" by the Italian government and supported by other European countries. The "Aquarius" was recently accused of trafficking waste and criminal activities - accusations that were "ludicrous", Medecins sans Frontieres said. The Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini had repeatedly closed Italian ports to the Aquarius, forcing it to sail for days with dozens of rescued migrants aboard to find a port in other countries.

Italian authorities on Nov 19 have issued an order to seize the "Aquarius" after accusations of illegal waste management, suspecting it of disposing of waste in an unauthorized manner. According to investigators, 24 tonnes of potentially toxic waste have been disposed of as ordinary waste. The investigation was headed by prosecutors in Sicily, but the charges were rejected by a "'Ärzte ohne Grenzen". All port procedures, including waste management, have always followed standard procedures. The ship was berthed in Marseille since Sep 4.

The 58 migrants which had been rescued by the "Aquarius 2" off the Libyan coast on Sep 24, arrived at the port of Valletta on Sep 30, after almost a week of waiting in front off the island. The castaways, almost all of Libyan origin, disembarked a little later after having been transferred from the "Aquarius 2", which remained in international waters, to a vessel of the Libyan Coastguard. Among them were 17 women and 18 minors. After they have passed the necessary sanitary and legal controls, they will be transferred to several European countries, under an agreement reached on Sep 25. Spain and Germany will welcome 15 people each, France 18, and Portugal 10. The "Aquarius 2" preferred to remain in international waters to avoid getting into an illegal situation when entering Maltese waters, with the risk of being seized.