MV Aquarius heading to Marseille

The Aquarius migrant rescue ship is headed for the port of Marseille with 58 people on board and will seek authorisation to dock from the French government, the vessel’s operators said Monday, after the ship’s registration was revoked.

France 24 reports that the director of SOS Méditerranée, Frédéric Penard, told reporters this was the only option they had. 

The announcement followed the decision by the Panama Maritime Authority to revoke the ship’s registration.

The NGOs administering the boat said was a reaction to “blatant economic and political pressure from the Italian government”. The Italian government denied the accusations.

The NGOS “are calling on French authorities to allow them to dock there once again”, explained FRANCE 24’s Catherine Norris-Trent. “Then they’re hoping to try and sort out some kind of registration for the ship so they can eventually set sail again.”