NADIR

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NGO ship detained by Italy after rescue operation

Italian authorities detained the "Nadir" in the port of Lampedusa on June 9. The vessel, belonging to the German non-governmental organization (NGO) Resqship, had previously rescued 112 people from an unseaworthy wooden boat in the Mediterranean. The rescue took place during the night of June 5-6. After the Italian authorities designated Lampedusa as a safe port for the "Nadir," the sailing vessel was detained for 20 days upon its arrival on June 8. The Coast guard also launched an investigation. Resqship was accused of ailing to promptly inform the relevant authorities in Tunisia and Libya and failing to follow instructions regarding the designated safe harbour. The NGO denies the allegations: "In fact, the Nadir followed the instructions of the Italian authorities and repeatedly contacted the MRCCs in Tunisia and Libya – without receiving a response, The allegations also ignore the fact that neither Libya nor Tunisia can be considered a safe haven for people on the move due to serious and well-documented human rights violations." During the voyage to Lampedusa, the "Nadir" was also requested to hand over some of the rescued people to an Italian patrol vessel. Since no written confirmation of this order was provided, and the "Nadir's" crew did not want to separate families, they refused this handover for safety reasons. Resqship condemned the detention of the civilian sailing vessel and described it as illegal: "This detention is not about right or wrong, but about politics. The allegations are completely unfounded, and the decision to detain the Nadir is arbitrary. Civilian sea rescue is being deliberately obstructed in order to push a political agenda."

65 migrants taken to Lampedusa among bodies of dead girls

Three Sudanese sisters have died in the Central Mediterranean. The girls aged nine, 11 and 17, were aboard a dangerously overcrowded rubber dinghy that took on water a few hours after leaving the Libyan city of Zwara en route to the island of Lampedusa on the night of Aug 22. The 'Nadir' was able to rescue 65 people, including the sisters’ mother and brother, three pregnant women and a three-month old baby, but its crew were unable to locate a fourth person who had fallen overboard prior to the rescue. The bodies of the girls, the surviving members of their family and the other survivors were taken to Lampedusa on Aug 23.

NGO ship rescued 60 migrants and recovered three dead minors

On Aug 23, the 'Nadir' rescued around 60 African migrants off the Libyan coast, including Nigerians, Ethiopians, Eritreans, Malians, Ivorians, and Sudanese. A pregnant woman and a child with severe burns were on board too. The bodies of three Sudanese sisters – 17, 12, and nine years old – were also recovered. The ship headed to Lampedusa to disembark the castaways. The patrol boat 'CP 322' of the Itailian Coastguard took on board the injured and the pregnant woman.