UN agencies call for urgent disembarkation of hundreds of refugees and migrants rescued in Central Mediterranean

More than 400 rescued migrants and refugees currently on board three vessels in the Central Mediterranean, some of whom have been stuck at sea for weeks, must be brought to shore immediately, two UN agencies said on Saturday.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, also reiterated their call for agreement on safe disembarkation amid the COVID-19 pandemic and reduced search and rescue capacity in the region.

An 'unacceptable' situation

The migrants and refugees include some 27 people who had departed from Libya and have been aboard a commercial vessel, the Maersk Etienne, since being rescued more than three weeks ago. Among them are a pregnant woman and children.

Describing the situation as "unacceptable", the UN agencies stressed that a commercial tanker "cannot be considered a suitable place to keep people in need of humanitarian assistance or those who may need international protection", adding that "appropriate COVID-19 prevention measures can be implemented once they reach dry land."

Fears for overcrowded vessel

Meanwhile, another 200 rescued refugees and migrants are in urgent need of transfer and disembarkation from the Louise Michel, a search and rescue vessel operated by a German non-governmental organization (NGO).

The boat had assisted in a rescue early on Saturday and was now overcrowded.

"Any delays could jeopardize the safety of all people on board, including its crew members," the agencies said.

A further 200 rescued people on board another NGO vessel, the Sea Watch 4, should also be brought to shore, said the UN agencies.

Lack of regional agreement

Both IOM and UNHCR have long called for a regional agreement on a mechanism for disembarkation of people rescued at sea.

"The lack of agreement...is not an excuse to deny vulnerable people a port of safety and the assistance they need, as required under international law," they said, calling for stalled talks to be resumed and for other European Union (EU) states to step up support to Mediterranean countries on the frontline of the issue.

The UN agencies also expressed concern about what they described as the continued absence of dedicated EU-led search and rescue capacity in the Central Mediterranean.

"With relatively fewer NGO vessels compared to previous years, the gap is being increasingly filled by commercial vessels," they said.

"It is vital that they are permitted to disembark rescued passengers promptly, as, without such timely processes, shipmasters of commercial vessels may be deterred from attending to distress calls for fear of being stranded at sea for weeks on end."

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