Rome [Italy], August 29: The Ocean Viking rescue ship operated by aid organisation SOS Mediterranee brought 254 migrants to the Italian port city of Naples on Monday.
The ship arrived at the port in the morning and all the migrants were able to disembark, a SOS Mediterranee spokesman said. The migrants were received by the local authorities and are to get medical care.
The organisation's crew recently rescued a total of 440 migrants from the central Mediterranean in a series of missions.
Among the 440 migrants were reportedly 90 unaccompanied minors, four pregnant women and six people with disabilities.
A first group was able to leave the ship in Vibo Valentia, Calabria, on Sunday, then the Ocean Viking set off from there to bring the remaining people to Naples.
Originally the Italian authorities assigned the port of Genoa in Liguria, in northern Italy to the Ocean Viking, which was further away from where the vessel operates.
But the ship's crew was assigned a closer port in southern Italy due to the weather conditions.
Civilian rescuers are frequently assigned distant ports by the Italian authorities, a policy sharply criticized by the organisations. (DPA)
Source: Qatar Tribune