Salvini announces that migrants have hijacked cargo ship and is directed towards Malta or Lampedusa – Updated

UPDATE: The Armed Forces of Malta established communications with the Captain of Motor Tanker ELHIBRU 1 when it was about 30NM away and still proceeding towards Malta. The Captain repeatedly stated that he was not in control of the vessel and that he and his crew were being forced and threatened by a number of migrants to proceed to Malta. AFM Patrol Vessel P21 stopped the tanker from entering the Maltese territorial waters

Italy’s Foreign Minister Matteo Salvini said that migrants have hijacked a cargo ship which had rescued them and are on their way to Malta or Lampedusa.

“It would be the first act of piracy on the high seas, with migrants who have hijacked a ship that had reached 6 nautical miles off the Libyan coast,” he said.

Salvini has announced that  “We are no longer doing just rescue operations.  This would be the first act of piracy on the high seas, with migrants hijacking a merchant ship.”

Salvini said there was no chance of the migrants being allowed to land in Italy.

“They should know that they will only see Italy with a telescope”, he said.

A spokesman for the armed forces of Malta told MaltaToday that the attempts to contact the ship’s captain have so far proved futile. The portal said that Maltese authorities are also monitoring the situation and were prepared for any eventuality, the spokesperson said, adding that the vessel would not be allowed to enter Maltese territorial waters.

The ship at the center of the story belongs to the maritime agency Elhiblu.

ANSA reports that the migrants had realised they were returning towards Tripoli and had threatened the freighter’s commander and crew.

The ship was said to be Elhiblu 1, described on tracking websites as a tanker sailing under the flag of Turkey.

Via The Malta Independent, TgCom, Corriere/ Ansa