Italy closes its ports, says Malta must take 629 migrants rescued overnight

Last updated  at 5.55pm with map and government statement that Malta will respect international law

Italy and Malta are locked in their second standoff in three days on the fate of migrants rescued from the Mediterranean.

Italian media reported on Sunday that Italy is insisting that Malta take 629 migrants rescued from Libyan waters and embarked on the Gibraltar-registered ship, Aquarius, claiming that Italian harbours are 'closed'.

Most of the migrants on the Aquarius were actually rescued by the Italian Navy itself in operations coordinated by the Rome Rescue Coordination Centre.

The rescues took place in Libyan-controlled waters in an area that is much closer to Tunis or the Italian island of Lampedusa than Malta. The migrants were then transferred to the Aquarius.

International laws lay down that rescued people have to be taken to the closest safe harbour.

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said on Sunday morning that Malta always respected and would continue to respect international law, a position reiterated by a government in the afternoon as the latest case developed.  

New Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini has insisted that Malta cannot continue to say no to migrants.

Over the weekend Italian media repeatedly claimed Malta had rejected 180 migrants rescued on Friday, but Malta insisted it was not the closest harbour for them. They were eventually taken to Sicily, but La Repubblica said on Sunday that Salvini had written to the Maltese authorities warning that Italy would no longer offer to receive migrants.

The newspaper said unprecedented measures would be taken in agreement between the (Italian) Ministers of the Interior and Infrastructure.

But the Maltese government said it will observe international laws and insisted that in this case, Malta was neither the competent or the coordinating authority. 

MSF, the NGO which picked up the migrants, said, that after an extremely busy night on the Central #Mediterranean, the Aquarius had 629 people on board including 123 unaccompanied minors, 11 children seven pregnant women - from six different operations.

Some 400 of the migrants were rescued by Italian navy, Italian coastguard and  merchant vessels and transferred to the Aquarius, which, it said, was now heading North to a port of safety.

The ship was approaching Maltese territorial waters in the mid-afternoon.