Large boats may have tried to avoid Lampedusa

The large fishing boats carrying hundreds of illegal immigrants that reached Malta's shores during the winter months may have been en route to Sicily to avoid Lampedusa, according to a senior army officer.

Three large vessels, carrying a total of 651 would-be immigrants, have arrived on these shores since the start of winter, which is unusual for this time of year. But the army's head of operations, Colonel Emanuel Mallia, dismissed the notion that they constitute some new phenomenon, insisting it was probably more of an "accident" that they landed here.

It was normal for the large boats, he said, to continue operating during the wintertime to the island of Lampedusa, the only difference this time being that they passed closer to Malta.

"This winter they seem to have had the intention of going straight to Sicily and so they travelled further up from Lampedusa. They tried to travel between Malta and Lampedusa to reach Sicilian shores and that is where they encountered problems and had to be brought into Malta. It was more by accident that they came here rather than by intent," Col Mallia said.

The reason for the new detour to Sicily was unclear but the AFM believes that the recent disturbances caused by would-be immigrants held in Lampedusa, brought about by the Italian government's policy of stopping the transfer of illegal immigrants to the mainland, could have been a contributing factor.

The policy makes the Italian island no longer an attractive destination for migrants heading for the continent. In one incident last month, part of a detention camp was set on fire by the migrants held there.

"Nothing is certain. It is more a question of what we think could have happened. It could be that what happened in Lampedusa and the disturbances that occurred there had an impact on the way things operated normally," he added.

Italian Interior Minister Roberto Maroni last week said his government's policy had prompted human traffickers to ferry illegal immigrants to Malta instead of Lampedusa. He was addressing the Sixth Ministerial Conference on the security of frontiers in south-east Europe.

Whether the true intention of human traffickers was to reach Sicily or Malta will remain unknown. However, when one of the larger boats docked in Birzebbuġa last month, one of the first questions asked by some of the immigrants on board was whether they had arrived in Sicily, according to AFM personnel on site.

The big boats operate regularly throughout the summer months but they stand out even more in winter when the weather makes it impossible for smaller boats to operate. They are more sturdy and seaworthy with the capacity of carrying up to 200 people.

Whether the big boats will continue coming to Malta or not depends on a number of circumstances, according to Col Mallia.

"We know that the vast majority would not want to come to Malta and so those who do come here are those that the army would have brought ashore because they required assistance," he said.

"If they encounter difficulties we are obliged to go out and help them. But bigger boats are sturdier and so it is less likely they will be brought to Malta during the summer months when the weather is much better," he said.

While it was obvious that the large fishing boats were likely to have left directly from Libya's shores, many have speculated about the possible presence of a large ship in the Mediterranean from which illegal immigrants may be offloaded on to smaller fishing boats and dinghies, normal fare during the summer months.

Col Mallia dismissed the speculation.

"There is no information or indication to support this claim. On the contrary, our information is that these boats are all departing straight from the north African coast. If the sea is fine, no incidents happen on board and more importantly the boat is not lost at sea. A normal boat would take around 24 hours to reach Malta from Libya. That is why we sometimes see immigrants looking fresh," he said.

The AFM officer confirmed that the dinghies, which were first seen last summer, were custom-built to carry between 70 and 120 people on board.

"Although they are bigger than the small boats, which we were accustomed to, they are as dangerous for the people on board. The dinghies are not used for anything else. They are probably a more cost-effective solution for the migrant traffickers but they are anything but safe," Col Mallia said.

As for the next round of Frontex-led sea patrols these would probably start in April under Maltese coordination: "Preparations are under way and, once they start, the patrols would last throughout the summer months as happened last year," he said.

Whether 2009 will be another record year for immigrant arrivals is still to be seen but, if the big boats that arrived in the first two months are anything to go by, the AFM could be in for a tough time.

ksansone@timesofmalta.com