Italy’s far-right government is taking drastic action against a vessel operated by MSF in the Mediterranean Sea. On Thursday evening, Italian authorities detained and fined the rescue ship Geo Barents, operated by Doctors Without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontieres, or MSF), shortly after the government passed a decree establishing a code of conduct for migrant charity ships.
The vessel was placed in administrative detention for 20 days and issued a 10,000 euro ($10,500) fine, according to MSF. The organization said it was accused of withholding some information about a rescue it completed last week, when the Geo Barents took 48 migrants and refugees to the Adriatic port of Ancona. In response, MSF said they were assessing what legal actions they could take to challenge the detention and fine.
The new law requires ships to request access to a port and sail to it “without delay” after rescue, as well as disclose detailed information about their activities. Captains who breach the regulations risk fines of up to 50,000 euros ($53,355), and repeated violations can result in their vessels being impounded.
Previously, vessels operated by charities spent several days in the Central Mediterranean and regularly completed multiple rescues before heading to a port. NGOs also complain the government is forcing them to take migrants and refugees to distant northern ports, far from where they carry out the rescues.
The new law is part of a crackdown by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on NGO rescue vessels, which her government claims encourages people to make the perilous trip across the Mediterranean from Northern Africa. Charities deny this, saying migrants and refugees set to sea regardless of whether rescue boats are in the vicinity.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk has criticized Italy’s measures, saying they are inadequate. The Roman Catholic Church in Italy also said the new measures violate international law and should be scrapped.
According to government data, 12,667 people have reached Italy so far this year, more than double the same period of 2022. The missing migrants and refugees project run by the International Organization for Migration says at least 157 people have been reported as missing, presumed dead, in 2023. This is despite Italy’s efforts to control NGO rescue vessels and discourage people from attempting the dangerous journey across the Mediterranean.