Blue Sky M docks in Italy with hundreds of migrants
Blue Sky M, the cargo ship that sent out a mysterious distress call yesterday afternoon has docked at the Italian port of Gallipoli.
It has now been confirmed that the ship was carrying hundreds of irregular immigrants.
Photos posted on Facebook by the regional branch of the Italian Red Cross show the ship in dock with hundreds of people on board waiting to disembark. Witness reports state that the majority of the people on board appear to be irregular immigrants and refugees from the Middle East – chiefly Syrians and Kurds.
The BBC cites an eyewitness, Gilberto Busti, who told reporters that he saw the police and the Red Cross that set up the tents, adding that he was told that there were about 800 to 900 people inside the ship. However, he couldn't confirm that there were dead people inside.
According to Reuters, three Italian coast guard officials boarded the cargo ship to ensure that it could safely reach port.
The Blue Sky M had begun its voyage in Turkey and had listed its destination as Rijeka in Croatia. It is flying a Moldovan flag.
Greek authorities were initially alerted to the vessel after a distress call was made to the European 112 emergency number. It is thought that the caller was one of the migrant passengers on board using a mobile phone. The unidentified caller spoke of 700 migrants on board who were suffering from cold with no blankets or food and water. He also stated that there were armed individuals on board.
Initially it was feared that the ship may have been sinking and a helicopter was immediately dispatched by the Greek navy to assess the situation. The helicopter crew determined that the ship was not in any immediate danger. According to the Greek press they also communicated with the captain who provided assurances that everything was fine.
However the ship’s movements around this time were unusual – performing a sharp turn to the west towards Italy.
A Greek navy frigate that was in the area to assist with the rescue operation of the Norman Atlantic attempted to approach the vessel but could not get close before it left Greek waters, according to the Telegraph. Several hours later the Italian helicopters reached the vessel which was boarded by Italian coast guard officials.
There have since been reports that the crew abandoned the ship at some point after the initial distress call - perhaps to evade the authorities. It is unclear whether the person who spoke to the Greek authorities as the captain was still on board when the Italian coast guard officials were helicoptered onto the vessel to take control of it.
The AP quotes the Italian coast guard spokesperson Filippo Marini as saying the Italians had averted a disaster by interrupting the programmed route that would have had the ship crash into the shore.