Over 1,000 evacuees from Libya yesterday arrived in Malta, aboard two vessels, the MV San Gwann and the MV Bridge. It is fitting to think that they both pulled in to the Grand Harbour on the anniversary of Malta’s most famous arrival – the SS Ohio back in 1942.

That ship was one of five that managed to avoid destruction and managed to bring much needed fuel and supplies to Malta in one of her darkest hours.

But these arrivals were different. They were bringing people to Malta temporarily to avoid the carnage in Libya.  One of the vessels brought five Maltese citizens back home, after negotiations with the Filipino Government. The situation in Libya is still volatile, and after a sluggish start, the government and the crisis centre got themselves into gear and organised ‘assisted departures’ from Libya to get people out and back to Malta.

Most have, but it is believed that there are still some 50-odd Maltese citizens who chose to remain there. The government has done the right thing in negotiating with foreign governments to allow passage to Maltese nationals on ships that are leaving Libya.

In essence, the same thing happened in 2011. Although there were differences. At the time, things were so dangerous that the Royal Air Force had flown out of the Malta International Airport to send its rough terrain aircraft the C130-Hercules into the desert to pick up stranded British nationals. That was also done on the proviso that any Maltese could also use the flight.

The stakes were much higher back then. But now it has got to saturation point. The government does well in continuing to organise places for Maltese who want to leave Libya, but it has gotten to the point that people really should have left. Libya is a dangerous place. It continues to suffer spasmodic violence that leaves many dead as militias trade fire. The Libyan government had come to rely on them when Gaddafi was toppled because there was no police or army left to speak of. Everyone knew that it will take time with Libya. But things are getting worse. If things continue to deteriorate over there, we might see the migration pattern change. Instead of sub-Saharan Africans, Libyans might be thinking that their homeland is becoming too unstable and that it might be time for them to see pastures new.

Something similar happened with the devastation in Syria. All of a sudden, there was an influx of Syrians who tried to seek a better life away from the Civil War. Many of them died in various tragedies that took place in the Mediterranean.

This is a scenario that could unfold very easily and the government should continue to make the necessary preparations to accommodate a large influx of refugees from Libya. What if the unthinkable happened, what if Libya’s ports are declared unsafe? Just think what that would mean in terms of search and rescue and international obligations.