Migrants Allowed Off Maersk Tanker After 40 Days At Sea

A group of migrants rescued by a Danish tanker in the Mediterranean have been allowed to land in Italy after more than 40 days at sea.

The 27 people – including one pregnant woman – set off from Libya on 2 August.Danish tanker the Maersk Etienne picked them up shortly afterwards when their vessel started to sink.

But the ship was denied permission to dock in any country for more than a month. The migrants finally disembarked in Sicily on Saturday night.

On Friday the group had been transferred to a rescue vessel operated by the NGO Mediterranea Saving Humans.

They were brought to the port of Pozzallo.

“This puts an end to the longest and most shameful stand-off in European maritime history,” Mediterranea wrote on Twitter.

It comes at the same time as Greece is struggling to cope with more than 12,000 migrants on Lesbos after the Moria refugee camp was destroyed in a fire.