Migrant rescue ship Sea-Watch 3 changes flag from Dutch to German

The rescue vessel Sea-Watch 3, which has been detained by Italian authorities on multiple occasions, said that it would no longer be registered in the Netherlands and would instead fly Germany’s flag.

In a statement, Sea-Watch accused Dutch authorities of not fulfilling their role as a nation supporting their mission, adding that the Dutch “deliberately created a situation that would make further rescue missions impossible.”

According to the NGO, a ship’s flag country “is responsible for allowing ships to dock in a safe harbor as soon as possible after a rescue operation. However, whenever the Sea-Watch 3 appealed to its flag nation, the Netherlands repeatedly failed to fulfil its responsibilities.”

The statement went further, saying that the Netherlands had intentionally tried to prevent the rescue of dying people.

 

Via DW