Lampedusa has been declared an unsafe port by the Italian authorities, with newly intercepted or rescued migrants being taken to Sicily instead.

A spokesman for the Maltese Foreign Affairs Ministry said that for this reason the decision is unlikely to have any repercussions on Malta.

Malta insists that under international law, people rescued at sea must be taken to the nearest safe port. Disputes have erupted in the past between Malta and Italy over who should take in migrants rescued at sea.

The spokesman said it was not the first time Italy had declared Lampedusa an “unsafe” port, which held implications for Malta, but this time there was the proviso that migrants would be taken to the mainland instead. The Italian government’s decision was taken in the wake of violent disturbances which saw Tunisian migrants set fire and damage the island’s reception centre and other buildings.

Most of the 1200 migrants who were on Lampedusa have been moved and some 700 have been held on ships in Palermo, Sicily, for the past three days. They are expected to be repatriated soon.