Maltese authorities have refused the Ocean Viking rescue
ship to refuel in their harbours while on its search and rescue mission off the
coast of Libya,
according to the rescue organisation operating the ship, SOS Mediterranee.
According to SOS Mediterranee, which operates the ship
to rescue migrants and refugees with the Doctors Without Borders, known by
its French initials MSF, the Ocean Viking was originally allowed to refuel on
open waters.
"Ocean Viking was scheduled to refuel offshore Malta as
is standard practice for ships in the area needing fuel," Laura Garel from
SOS Mediterranee told Al Jazeera.
"This would have been convenient for SOS
Mediterranee and the ship since we would be passing through the area in
order to reach the central Mediterranean where we conduct our search and rescue
activities."
Maltese maritime authorities informed the Ocean Viking via
VHF radio that the ship had "no authorization to enter Maltese territorial
waters", added Garel.
"We did not receive an official explanation about why
we were not allowed to refuel."
The Ocean Viking, sailing under the Norwegian flag
and currently located about 150km from the Maltese coast, started its mission
from the French port of Marseille on Monday.
According to Garel, the ship has fuel and food left for
several days and it will now head to the central Mediterranean to conduct
search and rescue activities.
The organisation is looking for a solution for when fuel and
food eventually run out, but did not have one as of yet.
The Ocean Viking has
a crew of nine, plus a search-and-rescue team and medical and other
staff. The ship can house between 200 and 300 refugees and
migrants.
It set sail seven months after the organisations were forced
to abandon the mission using their ship Aquarius.
After nearly three years of operations, in which it rescued
about 30,000 people, the Aquarius was forced to cease operations in December
2018 because of what the groups said was obstruction by some European countries.
The charities said at the start of the new mission that
"426 men, women and children have died" since the beginning of the
year in the central Mediterraneanwhile
attempting to "escape the escalating conflict in Libya and the deplorable
conditions of Libyan detention centres".
"As people are still fleeing Libya on one of the most
perilous sea crossings in the world, and with almost no available rescue assets
present in the central Mediterranean, it has been an imperative for both SOS
Mediterranee and MSF to return."
