The Ocean Viking, an ambulance ship chartered by SOS Méditerranée, rescued 84 migrants on Tuesday aboard an "
overloaded
" inflatable boat off the coast of Libya, the Marseille-based humanitarian NGO announced.
Among the evacuees are "
58 unaccompanied minors
" and "
many survivors suffer from dehydration and hypothermia
", specified the NGO.
To disembark the rescued people, the Italian authorities have assigned SOS Méditerranée the port of Ravenna (north of the Adriatic coast), four days sailing from the rescue area.
Italian decree challenged
In early January, several international NGOs involved in rescue operations for migrants in the Mediterranean denounced the desire of the far-right Italian government “
to hinder assistance to people in distress
”.
They pointed to the cross-effects of a decree obliging ships to go "
without delay
" to an Italian port after each rescue and the now usual assignment of very distant ports, reducing the capacity for assistance.
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The central Mediterranean is the most dangerous migration route in the world, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
The UN agency estimates that in 2022, 1,377 migrants disappeared there.