The German rescue ship "Sea Eye 4" rescued "52 people in the central Mediterranean on the evening of May 20. Two people had to receive emergency medical assistance. The operation took place in the Maltese search and rescue zone," according to a statement from the German NGO Sea Eye.

The vessel is headed to the Italian port of Ravenna, with arrival expected on Saturday, May 25, marking the eleventh docking of NGO ships since December 31, 2022.

Sea-Eye criticized the designation of Ravenna by Italian authorities, noting that the port, located on the north Adriatic coast, is more than 900 nautical miles away from the rescue site.

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Migrants in danger on an overcrowded boat

The Sea-Eye 4 received an emergency call on Monday afternoon from the private rescue ship Mare Go, which had found a fiberglass boat unfit for navigation and overcrowded.

"The MareGo managed to provide life jackets to the occupants and stabilize the boat. As the weather threatened to worsen, it called for assistance from the Sea-Eye 4, which arrived at the operation site after about two hours of navigation," the statement continues.

"Upon arrival, the boat was no longer able to reach a safe port on its own. Around 10:30 pm, the Sea-Eye 4 successfully completed the operation and evacuated all the people," the German NGO specifies.

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On board are also six minors, four unaccompanied

Among the 52 migrants on the NGO ship are 46 men and six minors aged 16 and 17, four of whom are unaccompanied.

The nationalities are Syrian (26 people), Bangladeshi (19 people), Palestinian (four people), Pakistani (one person), Moroccan (one person), and Egyptian (one person).

The disembarkation will take place around 6 pm at the Fabbrica Vecchia dock in Marina di Ravenna. With Red Cross buses, the 52 people will then be transferred to Pala De André, where medical examinations and all police procedures -- identification and fingerprinting -- and the social services of the Municipality will take place.

The migrants will then be distributed among the various provinces of the region according to the following plan: Bologna 12 people (including the four unaccompanied minors), Ferrara three, Forlì-Cesena seven, Modena eight, Parma four, Piacenza three, Reggio Emilia six, Rimini four, while five will remain in Ravenna in the Extraordinary Reception Centers (Cas).

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