On Monday 4th January, 2021 the converted tugboat now a rescue ship OPEN ARMS with 265 rescued souls arrived off Porto Empedocle, Sicily after Italy assigned the landing port as safe.

They were rescued by the 1974 built vessel OPEN ARMS in international waters on December 31st, 2020 and last Saturday 2nd January, 2021 are being taken to a quarantine ship anchored off Porto Empedocle in Sicily. NGO Alarm Phone said that the Maltese authorities ignored a request for assistance. Among the migrants were 17 minors and two women.

Meanwhile the quarantine ship anchored off Porto Empedocle is the Grandi Navi Veloci 1996 built ropax RHAPSODY as chartered by the Italian Government back to September 2020 deployed as accommodation vessel for quarantined migrants.

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Published – Monday 4th January, 2021