THE International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), representing 80 per cent of the world's merchant fleet, has decried Italy's decision to close its ports to migrants rescued at sea by NGO rescue boats.
If NGO vessels are prevented from disembarking migrants in Italy, merchant ships would again have to be involved in rescues, said the ICS statement.
'ICS is calling on all EU member states to address concerns raised by the Italian government about the large number of rescued persons arriving in Italy, in order that the policy of prompt disembarkation - not just in Italy but in other EU member states can be effected,' said ICS secretary general Peter Hinchliffe.
As long as merchant ships could count on NGO boats being able to pick of the migrants and ferry them to Italy, they were relieved of UN imposed duties to rescue them themselves. But the inflow of African migrants was deeply resented by Italian populists, who voted in a rightist government in March, which reversed the policy and imposed the ban.
NGOs are often leftwing activist organisations less interested in rescue than getting the poor of the world to invade the rich of the world's territory.
NGOs with such views were charged with flashing signal lights to assist the human traffickers, who could then put to sea in increasingly fragile and overloaded craft, knowing there was an NGO boat in the offing to rescue them and ferry passengers to asylum.
Said the ICS statement: 'The refusal by Italy to allow rescued persons to be disembarked could have serious implications for the safety and welfare of these distressed people, including children and pregnant women, said the ICS statement.
'To its great credit, the government of Italy has consistently permitted prompt and predictable disembarkation of people rescued by merchant ships as well as by vessels operated by humanitarian NGOs.
'But following the election of the new Italian government, the crisis now seems to be taking an ever more political direction,' said the statement.
'The global shipping industry, as represented by the International Chamber of Shipping, is committed to meeting its obligations under the UN International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Safety of Life at Sea Convention (SOLAS) to come to the rescue of any person in distress at sea.
Since the migrant crisis in the Mediterranean escalated three years ago, over 50,000 people have already been rescued by merchant ships, with many more rescued by military vessels and boats operated by humanitarian NGOs.
If NGO vessels are prevented from disembarking migrants in Italy, merchant ships would again have to be involved in rescues, said the ICS statement.
'ICS is calling on all EU member states to address concerns raised by the Italian government about the large number of rescued persons arriving in Italy, in order that the policy of prompt disembarkation - not just in Italy but in other EU member states can be effected,' said ICS secretary general Peter Hinchliffe.
As long as merchant ships could count on NGO boats being able to pick of the migrants and ferry them to Italy, they were relieved of UN imposed duties to rescue them themselves. But the inflow of African migrants was deeply resented by Italian populists, who voted in a rightist government in March, which reversed the policy and imposed the ban.
NGOs are often leftwing activist organisations less interested in rescue than getting the poor of the world to invade the rich of the world's territory.
NGOs with such views were charged with flashing signal lights to assist the human traffickers, who could then put to sea in increasingly fragile and overloaded craft, knowing there was an NGO boat in the offing to rescue them and ferry passengers to asylum.
Said the ICS statement: 'The refusal by Italy to allow rescued persons to be disembarked could have serious implications for the safety and welfare of these distressed people, including children and pregnant women, said the ICS statement.
'To its great credit, the government of Italy has consistently permitted prompt and predictable disembarkation of people rescued by merchant ships as well as by vessels operated by humanitarian NGOs.
'But following the election of the new Italian government, the crisis now seems to be taking an ever more political direction,' said the statement.
'The global shipping industry, as represented by the International Chamber of Shipping, is committed to meeting its obligations under the UN International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Safety of Life at Sea Convention (SOLAS) to come to the rescue of any person in distress at sea.
Since the migrant crisis in the Mediterranean escalated three years ago, over 50,000 people have already been rescued by merchant ships, with many more rescued by military vessels and boats operated by humanitarian NGOs.