A ship that ignored orders to take rescued migrants to Libya was refused entry into Maltese waters and blockaded by the armed forces.

The stand-off on the high seas started in the early hours of Monday when the Liberian-registered tanker, MT Salamis, headed for Malta with 102 migrants on board, including an infant.

The ship was still drifting some 24 nautical miles to the south blockaded by AFM patrol boats by the time of going to print.

Last night the Greek tanker’s owners claimed the master had received no instructions to head to Libya and called on the Maltese and Italian authorities to allow the migrants to disembark.

They said one of them, a woman, needed medical assistance and disembarkation was for the safety of the migrants, the crew, the ship and its cargo.

The Maltese Attorney General’s office, in a letter to the ship agent in Malta, blamed the ship’s master for bringing about a situation that was prejudicial to the Government after he ignored instructions.

It called on him to head back to the nearest “place of safety” at the time of the rescue, which was Libya, and said it was holding the master and owners responsible for any damages.

On instructions from the Marine Rescue Coordination Centre in Rome, the ship’s crew had saved the migrants some 45 nautical miles off the Libyan coast soon after leaving the port city of Khoms.

The tanker’s owners, Mantinia Shipping, said the crew spotted a damaged rubber dinghy whose occupants were shouting for help and waving white flags. Aboard were 102 Ethiopians and Eritrians, among them an infant and 20 women, four of whom are reported to be pregnant. The ship was heading to Malta with a cargo of gasoil.

Although the migrants were in the Libyan search and rescue zone, the rescue operation was coordinated by the Italian authorities in Rome.

The Government said the Italians had instructed the ship to proceed to the closest port of safety in Libya. It also released a fax communication sent by the Rome rescue centre to the AFM command centre, with the instructions that were given to the captain of the Salamis.

However, the Italian duty officer noted that the ship’s captain replied saying it was “his own decision” to proceed towards Malta as original port of call.

“Despite clear instructions from the Rome and Malta rescue centres, MT Salamis failed to contact the Libyan authorities... the decision was taken by the captain in consultation with the ship owners and operators in breach of international obligations that regulate such matters,” the National Security Ministry said.

It also released a map showing how the rescue operation happened 140 nautical miles away from Malta and much closer to the Libyan coast.

This version was contradicted by Mantinia Shipping, which said the ship’s master “repeatedly tried to contact MRCC Rome for further instructions, however MRCC Rome never replied to the vessel’s calls. Therefore, the vessel’s master was never instructed from MRCC Rome, or any authority to proceed to a Libyan port.”

The ship therefore resumed its voyage to Malta so that humanitarian and medical treatment could be provided to the survivors, the company said.

“The vessel neither has the capacity nor the provisions and medical equipment to accommodate the 102 people.”

The owners called on Malta and Italy to urgently provide clear instructions so that the rescued migrants could disembark.

“Kindly also take into consideration that the vessel is loaded with an inflammable petroleum cargo and has safety equipment sufficient for 32 people. Therefore, this situation must be addressed urgently and the survivors’, crew’s, vessel’s, cargo’s safety must be ensured.”

Panaviopis Konstantopounos, a representative of the Greek company that owns the ship, said: “What Malta does not understand is that the ship saved lives as it was obliged to do by international conventions. These are people on board.”

However, the Government spokesman insisted the instructions were clear for the ship to return to Libya. The captain was also informed that since the migrants had been saved and not in danger, the ship would not be allowed to enter Maltese territorial waters.

This was not the only incident that happened in the early hours of Monday. Sources said another group of 96 migrants was rescued by a Turkish cargo ship in the Libyan search and rescue zone.

The operation was again coordinated by the Italians and the ship was instructed to disembark the migrants in Tripoli, the nearest port of call. The Libyan government did not object.

The Government’s decision to blockade the MV Salamis was supported by the Opposition but viewed critically by human rights groups that insisted Libya could not be considered a safe country.

The Opposition noted that the Government was adopting the same position the previous administration used to take in identical situations.

It said that on the basis of the facts given by the Government, it seemed that the closest safe port of call was Libya so Malta was acting in line with its international obligations. The Opposition hoped the outcome would be positive.

But eight groups that champion migrants’ rights urged Italy and Malta to ensure that all decisions involving the fate of the migrants gave topmost priority to the lives at stake.

From the available information, the groups argued that Libya ought to be responsible for the coordination of the rescue operation, and for ensuring the prompt disembarkation of the rescued migrants at a safe port.

However, it was unclear whether the Libyan authorities responded to a distress call, which placed the onus on Italy and Malta to assume rescue coordination responsibilities.

“Italy and Malta need to ensure that all the rescued persons are not returned to a territory where they would be exposed to severe human rights violations,” the groups said, shedding doubt as to whether the migrants would have the opportunity to present their asylum case in Libya.

The NGOs applauded the “courage and commitment” shown by the ship captain and crew, and urged coastal states to take due consideration of the human and commercial strain such incidents placed on private vessels.

The statement was signed by Aditus, the Jesuit Refugee Service, the Migrants’ Network for Equality, SOS Malta, Kopin, Integra Foundation, the Foundation for Shelter and Support to Migrants and the Organisation for Friendship in Diversity.

Last night, Neil Falzon of Aditus said the ship’s master was interpreting the idea of a safe port as it should be interpreted under international law, and it was Italy and Malta that were asking him to break the law.

More than 100 irregular migrants arrived in Delimara on a dinghy on Sunday, the first group to land on the island this month. So far more than 1,400 irregular immigrants have been brought to shore and rescued since the beginning of the year.

Yesterday’s stand-off rekindled memories of a similar incident in April 2009 when a tanker which had rescued 140 migrants off Lampedusa was refused entry by both Italy and Malta for three days.

After a protracted stand-off, the migrants eventually disembarked in Lampedusa.

AFM evacuate women and child

Four migrants on board a dinghy heading to Sicily requested medical assistance and were evacuated by the armed forces on Sunday night and taken to hospital.

The group included two pregnant women.

The army said that the rest of the migrants proceeded towards Italy under the watchful eye of another patrol boat with the Italian coast guard assuming responsibility of the migrant craft when it entered the Italian search and rescue zone yesterday morning.