A Maersk container ship has picked up 113 migrants from a boat off southern Italy, according to Reuters.
At 4:30 local time on June 22, Maersk Line’s ship Alexander Maersk received a request from the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre to change its course and pick up the migrants.
The ship, which is now south of Sicily, is awaiting further instructions from authorities.
This month has seen tensions rise between Italy and its neighbouring EU countries over its stance on accepting migrants.
Spain recently allowed the ‘Aquarius’ ship, which was carrying 629 migrants, to dock after Italy's new right-wing government made it clear that it was against allowing the migrants refuge.
Malta also refused the ship to dock due to it being outside of its search and rescue area.
A Tweet by Joseph Muscat, Malta’s Prime Minister, said that Italy’s actions were creating “a dangerous situation for all those involved”.
We are concerned at #Italy authorities’ directions given to #Acquarius on high seas. They manifestly go against international rules, and risk creating a dangerous situation for all those involved -JM
— Joseph Muscat (@JosephMuscat_JM) June 10, 2018
Italy is often the nearest port for those rescued off coast of Libya.
Italy’s interior minister, Matteo Salvini, also stopped a Dutch-flagged rescue boat from docking this month after it saved 224 migrants.
According to Salvini, the Italian coast guard told the vessel to leave the rescue to the Libyan coast guard.
