The humanitarian NGO SOS Méditerranée deplored on Tuesday January 11 the new immobilization of its ship “Ocean Viking“By the Italian authorities in a Sicilian port, regretting the”extreme thoroughness»Of an inspection of this rescue boat at sea. The Italian coast guards regularly immobilize the ships of humanitarian NGOs, a measure described as unjustified and politically motivated by the latter who bring aid at sea to migrants trying to reach Europe.
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“We regret the extreme care taken in the checks of our vessel. This inspection is the sixth inspection to which the Ocean Viking has been subjected since the start of its operations in the central Mediterranean in August 2019.“, Says the NGO in a statement after a check carried out Monday in the port of Trapani. “During this inspection, it was felt that the structures added to the ship to house the survivors and contain the necessary equipment for our rescue work should be recorded in a different category.», Explains the NGO.
“The certification of these structures as cargo is in question, two and a half years after the device was installed in a professional shipyard and validated by all relevant regulatory bodies», Specifies SOS Méditerranée. The Ocean Viking, which has rescued 2,832 people since the start of 2021, had already been immobilized by the Italian authorities in July 2020 for “technical irregularities», According to the Italian authorities.
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“We will now consult with our owner, the maritime administrations and the regulatory agencies to implement the measures and administrative formalities which will guarantee a rapid release of the Ocean Viking in order to resume as quickly as possible our mission to save lives in Wed», Assures the NGO. “Aid ships such as the Ocean Viking, which fill the void left by European states, are essential to prevent these shipwrecks“, Underlined Fabienne Lassalle, deputy general manager of SOS Mediterranean France, quoted in the press release. More than 67,000 migrants arrived in Italy in 2021, most from North Africa, in makeshift or often overcrowded boats, according to figures from the Ministry of the Interior.