The Louise Michel ship of the NGO of the same name, financed by the artist Banksy, is detained in the port of Lampedusa for violations of the new decree. The activists themselves report this, explaining that the authorities "prevent us from leaving the port and providing rescue at sea".

Before arriving in Lampedusa yesterday the ship had rescued five small boats, for a total of about 230 migrants, in the Mediterranean and the rescues had also been carried out by patrol boats of the Captaincy and Finance Police.

The Coast Guard explains in a note that the Louise Michel, after having carried out the first rescue operation in Libyan waters "contravened the provision given to reach the port of Trapani, heading instead towards three other boats on which, moreover, under the coordination of the IMRCC (National Maritime Rescue Coordination Center), the vehicles of the Italian Coast Guard were already heading to the rescue». This is the reason that led to the detention of the ship.

The Coast Guard also explains that "the continuous calls from NGO aircraft have overloaded the communication systems of the National Rescue Coordination Center, overlapping and duplicating the reports of the already present state air assets". In essence, "obstructing the ongoing rescue efforts, nevertheless in 48 hours over 3,300 people aboard 58 boats were rescued under the coordination of the Italian Coast Guard".

(Unioneonline/L)