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The Panama Maritime Authority (PMA) said on Sunday that the rescue vessel Aquarius 2, the last of its kind operating on the Central Mediterranean traffic route, would be withdrawn.
The move puts an end to all rescue missions organized off the Libyan coast, unless the ship can find a new flag.
The ship is currently at sea with 58 survivors on board and will be unloaded as soon as it enters the port. We do not know yet where he intends to sail.
SOS Mediterranee, one of the humanitarian organizations that operates Aquarius 2, said in a statement that it was recovering from the situation and accused Panama of complying with pressure from the Italian government.
"Saturday … the Aquarius team was shocked to learn that an official communication from the Panamanian authorities stated that the Italian authorities had urged the PMA to take" immediate measures "against Aquarius, "he added.
SOS Mediterranean, along with other operators, Doctors Without Borders, called on European governments to ask the Panamanian authorities to reinstate the vessel's registration or issue a new flag immediately.
Salvini denies an intervention
Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini has categorically denied that his government has put pressure on Panama to revoke the registration of the rescue vessel. "I do not even know the regional code of Panama," he tweeted.
The PMA said it was acting after the "main complaint of the Italian authorities" was the ship's captain's unlawful refusal to cooperate with the Libyan coastguard and return the rescued migrants to Libya. However, the UN refugee agency said Libya could not be considered a safe harbor. The country remains largely anarchic in the midst of a recent upsurge of fighting between militias.
Salvini has led a populist crackdown on migrants since his League party joined the five-star anti-constitutional movement in place last June. He accused humanitarian organizations of leading a "taxi service" for migrants crossing the Mediterranean.
He has also proven himself by refusing to leave humanitarian ships with migrants rescued at sea in Italy.
The Spanish corridor
Rome's crackdown on migrant rescue boats has seen the waters separating Spain and Africa become one of the major crossing points of migrants in Europe.
In 2018, nearly 300 migrants died trying to cross the strait to Spain, while more than 1,600 people died attempting to cross the Mediterranean. The UN refugee agency maintains that the move from central Mediterranean Libya to Malta and Italy remains by far the deadliest route for migrant smuggling.
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dm / rt (AP, AFP, dpa, Reuters)
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