A Dutch inspector is expected to visit an NGO migrant rescue vessel that has been impounded by the Maltese authorities. The vessel, operated by German NGO Sea Watch, is registered under the Dutch flag.
It is the second migrant rescue vessel to be impounded by the Maltese authorities, along with the MV Lifeline, which is operated by another German NGO – Mission Lifeline.
Following that incident, Maltese government said it would not be allowing NGOs to sail in and out of its harbours until it checked whether any international laws were being broken. It transpired that the Lifeline was registered as a pleasure yacht in the Netherlands. Its captain has been charged with irregular registration of the vessel.
“Malta needs to ascertain that operations being conducted by entities using its port services and operating within the area of Maltese responsibility are in accordance with national and international rules,” the government had said in a statement.
DutchNews.nl has reported that the inspector will be visiting the Sea Watch to investigate if the vessel was breaking any rules and whether it is staying in its search and rescue area.
On Tuesday Sea-Watch International claimed that their vessel had been detained in Malta, without any legal grounds by authorities, while people were dying at sea.
“Since the Sea-Watch 3 is not registered in the sportboat register, as is the case for LIFELINE and SEEFUCHS, but is listed in the royal shipping register as a Dutch seagoing vessel, fully entitled to fly the Dutch flag, the lack of permission to sail from Malta turns out not to be a registration issue, but a political campaign to stop civil rescue at sea,” a statement on the NGO’s website read.
Sea Watch captain Pia Klemp said that “While we are hindered from leaving port, people are drowning. Any further death at sea is on the account of those preventing rescue from taking place. Saving lives at sea is non-negotiable."
On Thursday, the NGO had said that the Maltese authorities had also barred its spotter plane from taking off.
A government spokesperson later said that Malta’s Search and Rescue authority had not requested any surveillance missions by third parties to be conducted within its SRR and FIR.