The Malta Navy has taken control of a tanker hijacked by migrants

The Maltese Navy took control of the tanker "Elhiblu I" which had been hijacked by migrants that he had rescued in international waters off the coast of Libyaannounced the Maltese authorities.

"The tanker, its crew and all the migrants are under the navy's escort" What "will deliver them to the police"said a statement from the Maltese Navy.

The ship arrived in Malta around 8:30 am (7:30 am GMT), he added.

The "Elhiblu I", with the flag of the Republic of Palau, in Oceania, He rescued a group of migrants Tuesday night and went to Tripoli to disembark.

However, Wednesday morning, the Italian authorities announced that six nautical miles before arriving at the port, suddenly changes heading north.

"They are not shipwrecked, but pirates"said the Minister of the Interior of Italy, Matteo Salvini after announcing that he was not going to authorize the ship to enter the Italian waters in case he went to the Sicilian coasts of Lampedusa or Sicily.

The ship sailed for Malta and the Maltese Navy contacted the captain while he was 30 miles off the coast.

"The captain repeatedly repeated that he was not in control of the ship and that he and his crew were threatened by a number of migrants who demanded that they go to Malta "added the Maltese Navy.

Patroller P21 of the Maltese Navy prevented the tanker from entering Maltese territorial waterss and a special forces command, supported by several ships and a helicopter, He embarked "to return control of the ship to the captain" and escorted him to Maltahe said.

According to the German NGO Sea-Eye, whose ship Alan Kurdi was Tuesday in the relief zone in front of Libya, listened to the dialogue between a European military aircraft and the captain, in the "Elhiblu I", there would be 108 migrants, among them women and children.

(With information from AFP)