Ocean Viking migrant rescue ship ‘not allowed’ to refuel in Malta

Maltese authorities have refused the Ocean Viking rescue ship to refuel in its harbours while on its search and rescue mission off the coast of Libya, according to the rescue organisation operating the ship, SOS Mediterranee.

According to SOS Mediterranean, which operates the ship to rescue migrants and refugees with the MSF, the Ocean Viking was originally allowed to refuel on open water. However, two hours before the planned refuelling, permission was withdrawn without any specific reason, the organisation told AFP news organisation on Wednesday.

The Ocean Viking, sailing under the Norwegian flag and currently located about 150km from the Maltese coast, started its mission from the French port of Marseille on Monday.

According to SOS Mediterranee, the ship has fuel and food left for several days.

The Ocean Viking has a crew of nine, plus a search-and-rescue team and medical and other staff. The ship can house between 200 and 300 refugees and migrants.

It set sail seven months after the organisations were forced to abandon the mission using their ship Aquarius.

After nearly three years of operations, in which it rescued about 30,000 people, the Aquarius was forced to cease operations in December 2018 because of what the groups said was obstruction by some European countries.

The charities said at the start of the new mission that “426 men, women and children have died” since the beginning of the year in the central Mediterranean while attempting to “escape the escalating conflict in Libya and the deplorable conditions of Libyan detention centres”.

“As people are still fleeing Libya on one of the most perilous sea crossings in the world, and with almost no available rescue assets present in the central Mediterranean, it has been an imperative for both SOS Mediterranee and MSF to return.”