A group of people rescued by the NGO-run vessel Lifeline left for Ireland Wednesday morning, but others remain stuck in a reception centre waiting for Italy to honour a pledge it made in June. 

Lifeline migrants leaving for Ireland Wednesday morning

All countries except one have kept their pledges to take in some of the 233 migrants brought to Malta by the Lifeline, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat confirmed.

Although he did not specify the country which did not abide by the agreement, sources had informed Times of Malta that Italy never fulfilled its pledge to take in 50 migrants.

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte had promised Joseph Muscat that Italy would accept some migrants rescued in the MV Lifeline stand-off last June.

The MV Lifeline was only given permission to dock after the Maltese government reached an ad-hoc deal with eight other European countries to jointly relocate the migrants.

Upon entering Malta, the ship was impounded and its captain marched off to court, accused of sailing an incorrectly registered ship. 

France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Norway and Belgium have already taken in some of the migrants brought aboard the ship.

The number of relocated migrants would only be published once the entire procedure involving all foreign delegations was completed, a government spokesman had said when announcing the relocation deal.