Plane migrant rescuers on the chain

valetta - The Maltese government has put a plane on the chain of the German aid organization Sea Watch, which fishes migrants out of the sea for the Libyan coast. That report different media. The organization sails under the Dutch flag.

The aircraft, a four-person, single-engine aircraft from the Cirrus brand, carried out reconnaissance flights at sea, looking for boats with migrants who are making the crossing to Europe from Libya. It was run by an aid organization of Swiss pilots, and according to Sea-Watch it contributed to the rescue of at least 20,000 boat refugees in recent years.

Earlier this week, the port authority in Malta's capital Valetta forbade the ship Sea-Watch 3 to sail. On what legal grounds this happened exactly remains vague. It is clear, however, that Malta, like Italy, strongly criticized the failure to comply with a code of conduct drawn up specifically for the offenses, which was agreed with the aid agencies under pressure from Italy. Ships would regularly ignore instructions from the coastguard. For more than a year there has also been a judicial investigation in Sicily into possible contacts with people smugglers. The aid organizations deny this.

Sea Watch sails under the Dutch flag, the ship is also registered in the land register in accordance with the requirements. In a statement, the organization says that because of the prohibition to sail and fly, people at sea unnecessarily end up in mortal danger.

Another relief organization from Germany, Mission Lifeline, was already in Malta last week, the skipper of her boat according to Times of Malta does not have the right navigation licenses to sail outside coastal waters.

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