Political standoff in the Mediterranean puts vulnerable people at risk

While the Aquarius was in international waters between Malta and Italy, Italy refused to allow rescued people to disembark in Italian ports, delaying medical treatment for people in need of urgent care. Today, two Italian navy ships arrived to take a transfer of 400 people from the Aquarius. Following a humanitarian decision by Spain to accept the disembarkation of people, the Aquarius will take the remaining 229 rescued people onboard to Valencia.

However, this will require a four-day journey that is particularly concerning for vulnerable people. Medical cases include people who were resuscitated following near-drowning and hypothermia and 21 patients who suffered severe chemical burns after being exposed to a toxic mixture of sea water and fuel for an extended period. There are also several serious orthopedic cases with associated infections that need immediate surgical evaluation and operations, which MSF is unable to provide on the ship.

"Denying disembarkation to desperate people rescued at sea cannot be considered as a victory: it is the wrong response to the lack of responsibility and burden-sharing between European Union member states," said Aloys Vimard, MSF's project coordinator onboard the Aquarius. "All EU governments and institutions must step up and support countries on the front line of dealing with sea arrivals such as Italy, to guarantee shared solutions and stop the unacceptable inaction from EU states."