There was no breakthrough yesterday in the newest migration standoff, with both Malta and Italy sticking to their guns and keeping their ports closed to an Italian coast guard ship with 170 migrants on board.

While Rome says the Guardia Costiera’s Diciotti vessel picked up the migrants in the Maltese search and rescue area, the Maltese government has insisted that the rescue took place in international seas.

Malta has insisted that here was no sign of distress and the migrants wished to go to Lampedusa. An AFM patrol boat shadowed the migrant boat as part of the country’s “duty of care”, the government said, but it could not force the boat to change course or impede it from going to the chosen destination. Furthermore, the Maltese authorities said, if this really was a case of emergency, the nearest safe port was Lampedusa, not Malta.

Italy, however, said the migrant boat was taking in water, and 13 people on board had to be airlifted to Lampedusa because of varying medical conditions.

The vessel was yesterday still waiting for instructions in between Maltese and Italian waters. The European Commission said yesterday it was monitoring the situation but it had not been contacted by any member states for a migrant-sharing agreement.

There are conflicting reports in the Italian media, with some outlets suggesting that the Coast Guard acted independently and failed to keep the government informed of the rescue operation. Some headlines suggested that Italian home affairs minister Matteo Salvini was at loggerheads with the Guardia Costiera.

Salvini was also quoted as saying that Italy had done enough and spend enough already, and that Malta should take in the latest migrant boatload. He reportedly also threatened to renege on the agreement for Italy to take in 20 migrants rescued by the MV Aquarius.

Reacting, the government said on Thursday evening that the operation was controlled by the Italian Coast Guard, when the migrant boat was making its way safely towards Lampedusa exercising its right of freedom of navigation on the high seas.

“The boat was steaming ahead without elements of distress. The migrant boat kept refusing assistance from an Armed Forces of Malta naval asset, which was continuously monitoring the boat throughout their journey within Maltese Search and Rescue Region. The migrants insisted that they did not require assistance and wanted to continue heading towards their intended final destination, namely Italy. Hence, the AFM continued to monitor the boat to fulfil a duty of care.”