Five EU countries have agreed to take in 141 migrants on board a rescue ship following a row over where they could dock. Malta allowed the MV Aquarius to dock on the island on Tuesday afternoon after France and the European Commission brokered a deal to send the migrants to other EU states. The 'Aquarius' got permittance to enter Valletta after France, Germany, Luxembourg, Portugal and Spain agreed to take the migrants - 67 of whom were under 18 years old.The rescue ship had been left stranded halfway between Malta and Italy as both countries blocked its arrival. The Maltese government said it made a 'concession' to allow the vessel to enter its port 'despite having no legal obligation to do so' and will serve as a 'logistical base'. On Aug 13, Italy demanded that the UK took in all 141 migrants because the ship was registered in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. Gibraltar's government said it had notified Aquarius on 6Aug 6 that its Gibraltar registration would be stripped because it was meant to be a 'survey vessel' but was being used for search and rescue work. Its registration is due to be officially revoked on Aug 20 when it will revert to Germany, as the underlying owner is German. The EU migration commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos commended the five countries 'for their solidarity and for sharing the responsibility' of sheltering the people, mostly from Eritrea and Somalia.
WORLD SHIPPING
14 August 2018 - 21:42
Rescue ship allowed to dock in Malta
Five EU countries have agreed to take in 141 migrants on board a rescue ship following a row over where they could dock
WORLD SHIPPING
14 August 2018 - 21:42
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