A rescue boat stranded for days in the Mediterranean carrying over 200 migrants was today still waiting for permission to dock in Malta pending a deal between a group of EU nations to take in a share of those on board.
Lifeline, a vessel for German NGO Mission Lifeline, has been waiting to be allocated a port for six days after rescuing 234 migrants off the coast of Libya last Thursday.
In a tweet, the organisation said it had renewed its request for permission to dock in Malta overnight, adding that many passengers were suffering from seasickness and three were in the ship's hospital facility. One passenger has been evacuated, leaving 233 currently on board.
Today the boat was given permission "to enter Maltese waters" to shelter from deteriorating weather conditions and high winds, the charity tweeted.
Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat was due to give a press conference later in the day.
After days of bickering over the migrants' fate, five EU nations -- Italy, Malta, France, Portugal and Spain -- gave the green light to take in a share of those on board, according to Italian media.
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The press reports said Germany, however, had not agreed to participate in the deal, a stance which the NGO co-founder blamed on the country's hardline Interior Minister Horst Seehofer, today.
"If the situation on the ship will escalate in the next hours due to exhaustion and weakness of the people rescued and the overall worsening weather conditions, it is entirely the responsibility of Mr Seehofer to bare the consequences," said Axel Steier.
Seehofer has taken a strong stance on immigration and given German Chancellor Angela Merkel an ultimatum to curb arrivals to Germany.
Mission Lifeline also hit back at criticism levelled at it yesterday by French President Emmanuel Macron, who said the charity had contravened "all the rules" by rescuing the migrants when the Libya coast guard was already intervening.
He accused Mission Lifeline of "playing into the hands of smugglers by reducing the risks of the journey, adding "we cannot permanently accept this situation." But, in a statement Wednesday the charity denied breaking the law.
"There have been a number of false accusations that Lifeline ignores orders by different MRCCs (maritime rescue coordination centres)," said Steier.
Lifeline argued the migrants would not be safe in Libya, where they have faced abuse and rape in holding centres, and that returning them there would breach international refugee law.
"The only order the ship denied was to hand over people to the so-called Libyan coastguard, as this would have been not in line with the Geneva Refugee Convention and therefore criminal."
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