Open Arms: Italian court lets rescue ship enter territorial waters
Catalan NGO awaits authorization to dock with 147 people on board after 14-day standoff
The Open Arms rescue ship entered Italian territorial waters on Thursday with 147 people on board after an Italian court accepted the Catalan NGO’s appeal against a de facto ban on sea rescue organizations.
After spending 13 days stranded in the central Mediterranean Sea, with European countries refusing to offer the ship a safe harbor, the tribunal ruled that the Open Arms vessel can enter Italian waters to “aid people on board" over a “serious" and “exceptionally urgent" situation.
The Spanish government announced that it was willing to welcome a part of the migrants rescued by the Open Arms, while urging the European Union and its member states to find a "shared" solution for them.
"Italy’s administrative court has accepted the appeal against [interior minister Matteo] Salvini’s security decree which forbids humanitarian ships entering territorial waters without authorization, risking €1 million fines,” said Open Arms founder Òscar Camps via Twitter. “The decree is now suspended.”
The message is out.
— Oscar Camps (@campsoscar) August 14, 2019
The whole world is aware.
It’s time to keep strong.
Resist.
We won’t leave you adrift.#OpenArms @CNN @BBCBreaking @NBCNews @ABC @euronews @nytimes @washingtonpost @guardian @Independent @democracynow @AP @Reuters @Telegraph @TIME via @MichSeixas pic.twitter.com/t7xk5w0RJv