ABOARD SEA-WATCH 3, Mediterranean (Reuters) - After two weeks stranded at sea and battered by winter storms, migrants onboard a rescue ship are growing frustrated, supplies are dwindling and the crew are exhausted as European countries refuse to offer a safe port of call.

The Sea-Watch 3, a vessel run by a German humanitarian group, plucked 32 people from an unsafe boat off the coast of Libya on Dec. 22, including three small children who are suffering from seasickness and four teenagers, who are traveling alone.

The vessel is now in Maltese waters sheltering from high winds and rough seas.

“We are here on this boat and we do not understand what is happening,” Bob Kiangala, from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, told Reuters.

“We are not fish, we are not sharks, we are human beings like everyone else. We made this crossing, we risked our lives to get to Europe, and now that we have arrived, Europe refuses, and we do not know why,” he said.

Another German humanitarian group, Sea-Eye, is also in waters off Malta with 17 people rescued on Dec. 29 on board its ship.

This week almost two dozen humanitarian groups, including Amnesty International and the United Nations’ International Organization for Migration, called on the European Union to offer a safe port to both vessels.

Until June last year, Italy took in almost all of the migrants rescued by humanitarian groups, but since then the new populist government’s Interior Minister Matteo Salvini has closed the ports to rescue ships.

The mayor of Naples said on Thursday he was ready to let the ship dock at the town’s port, but ports and immigration are controlled by the central government.

In recent months Spain and Malta have agreed to take in some rescued migrants, but often not before long negotiations with other EU countries. As a consequence, most humanitarian groups have abandoned sea rescue efforts.

Crew members on the Sea-Watch 3 are in good spirits but tired, getting an average of about five hours sleep a night, and the migrants, many of whom endured months of abuse in Libya after making a dangerous desert crossing, are showing signs of stress and mental fatigue, Sea-Watch’s head of mission, Philipp Hahn, said.

Sixteen-year-old Achuil Abdallah, who set off alone from his native South Sudan, said he is relieved to have escaped Libya and now is just hoping to reach dry land: “We all need help.” </s> ROME (Reuters) - Naples is ready to defy Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini and let in a charity-run ship carrying 32 migrants that is blocked in the stormy Mediterranean, the city mayor said on Thursday.

His offer adds to a growing challenge from opposition politicians to Salvini’s far-right League, which has vowed to bar migrants and make life difficult for those already here.

Both Italy and Malta are refusing to let the Sea-Watch 3, a ship operated by a German non-governmental organization (NGO), dock and set down the migrants who were rescued off Libya on Dec. 22.

Both countries say they have taken in too many migrants and accuse NGO rescue ships of acting as a taxi service for would-be refugees.

Naples’ center-left mayor Luigi de Magistris said Salvini was playing politics with peoples’ lives.

“To leave people and children in the middle of cold and stormy seas is a crime — not simply indecent, immoral and appalling,” de Magistris told Radio Crc.

“I hope that this boat approaches the port of Naples because, unlike what the government says, we will launch a rescue operation and we will let it enter the port,” he said. “I will be the first to lead the rescue.”

Naples is hundreds of miles to the north of the Sea-Watch 3 and there was no immediate response from the boat to the offer.

Malta overnight allowed the boat into its waters to sail closer to land where the seas are less choppy, but is refusing to let it dock.

Several local politicians from opposition parties have defied Salvini’s anti-migrant policies.

On Wednesday, the mayor of the Sicilian capital Palermo, Leoluca Orlando, said he would join other cities in ignoring a new security law because it abolishes asylum protection for many migrants.

Salvini on Thursday threatened mayors with legal action.

“Anyone who helps clandestine migrants hates Italians. They will answer for their actions before the law and the history books. I will not back down,” Salvini tweeted.

FILE PHOTO: A ferry boat sails in the port of Naples, Italy July 25, 2018. Picture taken July 25, 2018. REUTERS/Tony Gentile/File Photo

“Italy’s ports are closed. We have taken in too many fake refugees. We have enriched too many people-smugglers. Left-wing mayors should think of the difficulties of their own citizens and not clandestine migrants.”

On taking office last year, Salvini barred NGO boats and moved to help Libya prevent people leaving its shores.

Some 12,977 migrants entered Italy in 2018 via boats from Libya, down 87.9 percent on 2017 and 92.85 percent on 2016, according to government data. </s> The latest standoff involves 32 migrants who were rescued at sea on December 22 but have not yet been given permission to land anywhere.

"It's now been 14 days left alone at sea. A new record of shame," the Mediterranea collective of aid groups and associations said on Twitter today, as it launched a mission to deliver aid to those stranded in stormy weather off the coast of Malta.

Three children, aged one, six and seven, "are vomiting continuously, and are at risk of hypothermia and dehydration," said Alessandro Metz of Mediterranea, an initiative which aims to protect migrant rights at sea.

"EU ministers continue to bargain over 32 human beings. We might look miserable, but they are pathetic," German charity Sea Watch said.

Doctors Without Borders (MSF Sea) said there was "no justification for this degrading treatment".

The Sea-Watch 3, a Dutch-flagged vessel which pulled the migrants to safety nearly two weeks ago, was on Wednesday given permission by Malta to shelter off its coast from the fierce winds -- but not to land.

It is the latest of a string of incidents involving people rescued at sea but left stranded in the Mediterranean that has thrown a harsh spotlight on the ongoing deadlock within the European Union over sharing responsibility for migrants.

Migrants have frequently been left in limbo aboard ships that rescued them since Italy's populist anti-immigration government began turning them away last summer.

A help party including fresh crew members and German members of parliament sailed out to the vessel on Friday with supplies, including fresh water, for the people on board.

Among them are three unaccompanied adolescents and four women from Nigeria, Libya and Ivory Coast.

As the help party arrived, "one of the migrants threw himself into thewater in an attempt to swim to Malta", said photographer Federico Scoppa, onboard.

"After a few meters, he gave up because of the cold and the current, and was dragged back to the ship using a lifebuoy," Scoppa told AFP.

The German NGO Sea-Eye also has a ship stranded in the Mediterranean with 17 migrants on board.

Italy, Malta, Spain and the Netherlands initially refused to take them in, although Germany and the Netherlands later said they would take some of them - on the condition that other nations did the same.

Several German and Italian cities have since offered to host them, with the mayor of Naples defying Italy's hardline interior minister by saying he would lead the operation to disembark them himself if they approached the coast.

In a joint statement with Mediterranea, it said Friday's aid mission aimed to "put pressure on Berlin, which has yet to give a positive answer to the dozens of German cities willing to take in those rescued".

It also urged "European countries, beginning with Italy and Malta, to offer a safe port, as required under international law."

Since coming to power more than six months ago, the Italian government has been demanding greater solidarity from reluctant fellow EU states.

But EU members have failed to agree on a permanent mechanism to relocate migrants who reach Europe's shores, even though arrivals have dropped sharply since a peak more than three years ago.

Some 113,482 migrants crossed the Mediterranean to reach Europe last year, according to the UN refugee agency, which said 2,262 people lost their lives or went missing making the perilous journey.

READ ALSO: Salvini furious as Italian mayors defy new immigration rules </s> (CNN) Almost 350 migrants are stranded on two boats in the Mediterranean, including a Danish cargo ship, as a standoff between nearby European countries deepened on Sunday.

The boats include German rescue ship, Lifeline, which picked up 234 people and 17 crew members off the coast of Libya on Thursday; and a cargo ship operated by Danish transportation company Maersk, which picked up another 113 migrants off the coast of Libya on Friday morning.

Both boats have been barred from docking at nearby Italy and Malta, as the countries urged other European nations to take in the stranded migrants.

The standoff comes weeks after Italy and Malta refused to accept another rescue ship, the Aquarius , which was carrying over 600 migrants. After two days drifting in the Mediterranean the migrants were accepted by Spain, exposing the tough new policies of Italy's hardline interior minister and leader of the anti-immigration League party, Matteo Salvini.

'Dear Salvini, we have no meat on board, just humans'

Salvini doesn't appear to be backing down on his tough stance anytime soon. Last week he warned the Dutch-flagged ship operated by the German nongovernmental organization Lifeline, currently stranded in the Mediterranean with over 200 migrants on board, not to dock in Italian ports.

On Sunday, Lifeline responded to Salvini in a Twitter post, saying: "Dear @matteosalvinimi, we have no meat on board, but humans. We cordially invite you to convince yourself that it is people we have saved from drowning. Come here, you are welcome!"

Similarly, Italy has also refused to allow the Maersk cargo ship, which is carrying over 100 migrants and is located south of Sicily, to dock in its ports. That's despite the Italian Maritime Rescue Coordination Center calling Maersk on Thursday night and asking for it to rescue the migrants, a Maersk spokesman told CNN.

The cargo ship had been traveling between Libya and Malta at the time, the spokesman said, adding that "it is now denied a port of entry and the company is awaiting further instruction from authorities."

The ship is roughly three sea miles from the port of Pozzallo in Sicily, Italian Coast Guard press officer Commander Cosimo Nicastro told CNN. He added that of the 113 migrants rescued, five have since been brought to shore for medical reasons, including an eight-months pregnant woman and her partner, and a young girl that needed medical assistance with her mother and sister.

Lifeline ship near the coast of Malta

Axel Steier, a spokesman aboard the Lifeline, told CNN on Saturday night that the ship is around seven to 10 hours from the Maltese coast.

However Malta has refused to allow the ship to dock, with Prime Miniser Joseph Muscat saying in a government statement that the rescue had taken place in the Libyan rescue zone and that it had been coordinated by the Italian authorities, and later by the Libyan authorities.

Given these circumstances, Malta is under no obligation to take in the ship, he said, even though the vessel is in the Maltese rescue zone.

That said, Malta has twice given food and drink supplies to the stranded ship, the Malta Ambassador to Italy, Vanessa Frazier, told CNN.

Malta's Minister for Home Affairs and National Security, Michael Farrugia, responded with tweets asking Toninelli to get his facts right and accusing Lifeline of breaking "international rules."

Immigration continues to be a controversial issue for EU member states. During the recent federal election campaign that led to Italy's new government -- a coalition between the anti-immigrant League and anti-establishment Five Star Movement -- Salvini promoted his party with an "Italians first" slogan and pledged to deport half a million migrants.

At an informal EU summit on immigration in Brussels on Sunday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel appeared keen to manage expectations that European leaders could reach a broad agreement on migration, telling journalists that countries will need to work on bilateral and trilateral deals with one another instead of waiting for all 28 EU member countries to come to an agreement. </s> Almost 350 migrants are stranded on two boats in the Mediterranean, including a Danish cargo ship, as a standoff between nearby European countries deepened on Sunday.

The boats include German rescue ship, Lifeline, which picked up 234 people and 17 crew members off the coast of Libya on Thursday; and a cargo ship operated by Danish transportation company Maersk, which picked up another 113 migrants off the coast of Libya on Friday morning.

Both boats have been barred from docking at nearby Italy and Malta, as the countries urged other European nations to take in the stranded migrants.

The standoff comes weeks after Italy and Malta refused to accept another rescue ship, the Aquarius, which was carrying over 600 migrants. After two days drifting in the Mediterranean the migrants were accepted by Spain, exposing the tough new policies of Italy’s hardline interior minister and leader of the anti-immigration League party, Matteo Salvini.

‘Dear Salvini, we have no meat on board, just humans’

Salvini doesn’t appear to be backing down on his tough stance anytime soon. Last week he warned the Dutch-flagged ship operated by the German nongovernmental organization Lifeline, currently stranded in the Mediterranean with over 200 migrants on board, not to dock in Italian ports.

“You (Lifeline) did a show of strength by contravening the indications of the Italian and Libyan coast guard. Now, you’ll carry this human load to the Netherlands,” Salvini said in a Facebook live video from his office.

On Sunday, Lifeline responded to Salvini in a Twitter post, saying: “Dear @matteosalvinimi, we have no meat on board, but humans. We cordially invite you to convince yourself that it is people we have saved from drowning. Come here, you are welcome!”

Similarly, Italy has also refused to allow the Maersk cargo ship, which is carrying over 100 migrants and is located south of Sicily, to dock in its ports. That’s despite the Italian Maritime Rescue Coordination Center calling Maersk on Thursday night and asking for it to rescue the migrants, a Maersk spokesman told CNN.

The cargo ship had been traveling between Libya and Malta at the time, the spokesman said, adding that “it is now denied a port of entry and the company is awaiting further instruction from authorities.”

The ship is roughly three sea miles from the port of Pozzallo in Sicily, Italian Coast Guard press officer Commander Cosimo Nicastro told CNN. He added that of the 113 migrants rescued, five have since been brought to shore for medical reasons, including an eight-months pregnant woman and her partner, and a young girl that needed medical assistance with her mother and sister.

Lifeline ship near the coast of Malta

Axel Steier, a spokesman for Lifeline, told CNN Saturday that the ship was around 40 miles south of the Maltese coast.

However Malta has refused to allow the ship to dock, with Prime Miniser Joseph Muscat saying in a government statement that the rescue had taken place in the Libyan rescue zone and that it had been coordinated by the Italian authorities, and later by the Libyan authorities.

Given these circumstances, Malta is under no obligation to take in the ship, he said, even though the vessel is in the Maltese rescue zone.

That said, Malta has twice given food and drink supplies to the stranded ship, the Malta Ambassador to Italy, Vanessa Frazier, told CNN.

Meanwhile, the fiery exchange between Italy and Malta continued over the weekend, with Italian transportation minister Danilo Toninelli calling the Maltese decision not to allow the Lifeline to dock “inhumane” and “absurd” on his Facebook page on Saturday.

Malta’s Minister for Home Affairs and National Security, Michael Farrugia, responded with tweets asking Toninelli to get his facts right and accusing Lifeline of breaking “international rules.”

Immigration continues to be a controversial issue for EU member states. During the recent federal election campaign that led to Italy’s new government — a coalition between the anti-immigrant League and anti-establishment Five Star Movement — Salvini promoted his party with an “Italians first” slogan and pledged to deport half a million migrants.

At an informal EU summit on immigration in Brussels on Sunday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel appeared keen to manage expectations that European leaders could reach a broad agreement on migration, telling journalists that countries will need to work on bilateral and trilateral deals with one another instead of waiting for all 28 EU member countries to come to an agreement.

The Mediterranean remains the world’s deadliest migration route, despite sharp falls in the number of people trying to reach Europe by boat. That drop is partly ascribed to a deal struck between Italy and Libya last year, in which the southern European country pledged to bolster Libya’s coast guard so it could spot departing migrant boats and house migrants attempting to cross.

As of June 6, there had been an estimated 785 deaths on the route this year, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said, with the majority of the 33,400 migrants and refugees arriving through Greece and Italy. </s> ROME — The Italian coast guard says 6,055 migrants have been rescued in one day in the Mediterranean off Libya. Nine bodies were recovered.

The coast guard said it a total of 39 rescues Monday in the sea about 30 miles north of Tripoli. Smugglers took advantage of the first day of calm seas after days of rough waters to launch vessels crowded with migrants who pay them in hopes of reaching European shores.

Most of the vessels were rubber dinghies, but there were also two rafts.

Doctors Without Borders said the dead included a 23-year-old pregnant woman.

Italian coast guard and navy ships, as well as vessels in European Frontex sea patrols and several humanitarian organizations, participated in the rescues.

Two migrants needing medical care were flown to Sicily's Lampedusa island. </s> CATANIA, Italy (Reuters) – Thirteen sick migrants on Saturday left the Italian rescue ship docked for five days in a Sicilian port and Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said he was working on a “positive solution” for the remaining 137 people on board.

The migrants, mainly from Eritrea, have been stranded in the port of Catania since Monday because the Italian government is refusing to let them off the boat until other European Union states agree to take some of them in. The United Nations called on Saturday for reason from all sides after a meeting of envoys from 10 EU states in Brussels a day earlier failed to break the deadlock.

“Frightened people who may be in need of international protection should not be caught in the maelstrom of politics,” the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR said in a statement.

It appealed to EU member states to “urgently” offer relocation places to the rescued people, in line with an agreement at an EU summit in June, and in the meantime urged Italy to allow “the immediate disembarkation of those on board.”

The only help from within the bloc came late on Saturday from Ireland whose foreign minister, Simon Coveney, said the government had agreed to accept 20 to 25 migrants.

Ireland’s announcement followed an offer from non-EU member Albania to take in 20 of the migrants.

Italy’s Foreign Ministry called Albania’s offer “a signal of great solidarity and friendship which Italy greatly appreciates.”

Salvini was in discussions with other non-EU countries who might be willing to follow Albania’s example, an Interior Ministry source said earlier on Saturday.

Italy’s anti-establishment government that took office three months ago has refused to back down, despite criticism from rights groups and the opposition.

The migrants that disembarked on Saturday — seven women and six men — were ordered off the boat by doctors after a check-up carried out at around midday.

They finally left the boat one-by-one some six hours later, stepping down a flight of steps to touch dry land for the first time since leaving Libya at least 10 days ago. They were taken by ambulance to Catania’s Garibaldi hospital.

The doctors had recommended all 11 women on board be disembarked, but four refused to leave their partners on board.

More than 650,000 people have reached Italian shores since 2014 and Rome says it will not let any more rescue ships dock unless the migrants are shared out around the EU. </s> A Syrian man reacts after being rescued by members of Proactiva Open Arms NGO on September 21, 2016, in the Meditterranean sea off the coast of Libya. By Ricardo Garcia Vilanova (AFP/File)

Rome (AFP) - More than 5,600 migrants were rescued from distress boats off Libya Monday in one of the largest tallies for a single day since the current migration crisis erupted, Italy's coast guard said.

The rescues came on the third anniversary of a migrant ship fire and sinking near the island of Lampedusa which left 366 people dead and alerted the world to the unfolding drama in the Mediterranean. </s> MILAN (AP) — Two more migrants have been evacuated from a German rescue ship overnight for medical reasons, leaving 40 passengers who were saved off Libya 16 days ago still blocked offshore by Italy's refusal to let them disembark.

Sea-Watch 3 captain Carola Rackete has twice defied direct orders from port authorities, first not to enter Italian waters and second in her attempted approach to the port of Lampedusa, Italy's southernmost island. Law enforcement who boarded the ship Thursday evening asked for patience, saying a resolution appeared near, but none came overnight.

It is the latest stand-off between Italy's hard-line interior minister and humanitarian rescue ships that the populist government accuses of aiding migrant traffickers. The EU has urged Italy to bring the migrants to land.
The mayor of Naples offers to berth a NGO-operated ship with 32 migrants who were rescued on 22 December in the Mediterranean Sea, off the coast of Libya.