PARIS (Reuters) – A ship operated by a charity group and carrying 234 migrants rescued in the Mediterranean was sailing on Thursday near the French island of Corsica, following tense exchanges between Paris and Rome on which country should allow the boat to dock.
Immigration is a hot-button issue in both countries, and France on Wednesday said Italy’s rightist government’s refusal to let the boat, which had been in its waters for days, disembark, was “unacceptable.”
The Ocean Viking has been at sea for more than two weeks since its first rescue in the central Mediterranean and has asked France to open its ports, following Rome’s refusal to let it dock.
Authorities in both Corsica and Marseille, on mainland France, have said they were willing to welcome the boat – but that would require the green light from national authorities.
Italy has seen a sharp increase in migrant landings this year with almost 88,700 people arriving, compared with 56,500 in the same period last year. About 15% were picked up by charity vessels.
(Writing by Ingrid Melander; Editing by Robert Birsel)
