(AFP) The migrant rescue ship Ocean Viking was detained on Wednesday over technical irregularities, Italy’s coastguard said, a move blasted as “harassment” by the charity that runs the vessel.
The ship had been allowed to disembark at a Sicilian port on July 7, with 180 rescued migrants onboard transferred to another boat for a two-week coronavirus quarantine.
Those two weeks ended on Tuesday — but the next day the Ocean Viking was immobilised.
The Italian coastguard said in a statement that an inspection had revealed “several technical and operational irregularities” and the ship was under “administrative detention” until they were corrected.
