“After this morning's rescue,
the Geo Barents
continued to sail towards the first alert she had received, in accordance with international maritime law. We were eventually able to locate an overcrowded dinghy in distress in international waters: 107 people, including including 5 women and 36 minors, were rescued and are now safe on board the Geo Barents".
Médecins Sans Frontières makes it known.
In total there are now 237 people on board.
After the controversy over the assignment of ports in cities governed by the centre-left to NGO ships,
yesterday the Interior Ministry indicated La Spezia, administered by the centre-right, to Geo Barents.
"But he only goes there for a matter of port rotation",
replies Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi on the sidelines of the inauguration of the academic year of the Fire Brigade's Higher Fire Institute.
"There is this astral coincidence:
the presence of NGO ships, together with the climatic conditions, make the dinghies restart from Libya, even the most fragile boats. We complain about this, they complain about the long journey".
Thus the Minister of the Interior
Matteo Piantedosi on the Geo Barents
who yesterday rescued 69 migrants and to whom La Spezia was indicated as a port of disembarkation.
"Shipwreck and rescue - he underlines - are something occasional, not systematic research that leads to departures. The presence of NGOs, coincidentally, restarts the rubber dinghies, not the structured boats. This is the factual data we record".
"We are following the matter together with the responsible bodies. Thanks to the availability of the LSCT Terminal, and its Chief Executive Officer, Alfredo Scalisi, we have identified the place of landing on Calata Artom. We have also made the former Terminal 1 of Largo Fiorillo available, to manage the parking of migrants waiting for their destination".
This was stated
by the president of the Port System Authority of the Eastern Ligurian Sea, Mario Sommariva,
at the end of the meeting in the prefecture convened to deal with the emergency linked to
the arrival of the Geo Barents humanitarian ship in the port of La Spezia, scheduled for the night between Saturday is Sunday.
