The captain of the MT Salamis ignored international law when he proceeded towards Malta with 102 migrants who had been picked up 46 miles off the coast of Libya, rather than turning back towards the nearest port, Interior Minister Manwel Mallia said this evening.

He was addressing a press conference on the latest developments with regard to the Liberia-registered tanker, which is anchored 24 nautical miles off Malta and has not been allowed entry into Maltese territorial waters.

The tanker is carrying migrants it picked up off a dinghy outside the port of Khmos, and instead of returning to Libya, proceeded towards Malta although it had been instructed otherwise by Maltese and Italian authorities.

The European Commission this morning urged Malta to allow the 102 migrant on board the tanker Salamis to disembark on the island. 

But the government has insisted that the tanker has no right to enter Maltese territorial waters.

Minister Mallia said the captain ignored orders because he put the commercial interest first, and insisted that Malta will not allow the vessel into its territory. Libya was the closest port of call when the migrants were picked up, he said, adding that the Maltese government had filed a judicial protest against the vessel’s owners to safeguard its interests.

The minister said that all migrants on board are in good health and have been given any medical assistance they needed, food and water by the Armed Forces of Malta.

"We are legally correct and expect the European Union to support us," he said.

He said that EC Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom had not been informed correctly about the events as they occurred and he had spoken to her after her midday briefing the clarify the issue. He said that the EU is expected to take a different approach.

http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2013-08-06/news/standoff-with-tanker-enters-its-second-day-2263744512/