The humanitarian rescue ship Ocean Viking, operated by SOS Méditerranée, is expected to dock in the Italian port of Ancona on June 1. On board are 67 people rescued from distress in the Mediterranean, including seven minors, three of whom are unaccompanied.
The arrival of the Ocean Viking is expected on June 1 at around 8 am, according to the Prefecture of Ancona.
Among the migrants, all of them men, there are 60 adults, four accompanied minors, and three unaccompanied ones. They come from Syria, Bangladesh, Egypt, Pakistan, Palestine, Guiney Conakry, South Sudan, Ethiopia, and Eritrea and were rescued after a shipwreck in Libyan waters.
Also read: Ocean Viking ship rescues 35 Bangladeshi migrants
Rescued in Libyan waters
The operational plan to shelter migrants in Ancona has already been put into action in coordination with the Prefecture.
Following the arrival, and the usual health check, migrants will be transferred to the sports center Paolinelli in the Baraccola area of Ancona for identification procedures.
Once the shelter and assistance procedures are completed, the adult migrants are scheduled for transfer to other regions in Italy, while minors may remain under care in the Marche region.
This is the ninth arrival in the port of Ancona by an NGO ship with rescued migrants on board.
Also read: Italy: Two migrants saved by Ocean Viking detained in Ancona
Paper boats in the fountains of Rome against 'massacre' at sea
On May 29, large paper boats with the message "Don't just stay there and watch" appeared at some of the most famous fountains in Rome and on the Tiber River.
Activists from SOS Méditerranée in Italy organized this initiative to raise awareness on "what is happening every day in the Central Mediterranean, under the eyes of a political establishment which is often absent, incapable or even hostile."
"The time has come for Europe to take responsibility and face the issue of the most lethal migration route in the word, where every year thousands of innocent persons die," said SOS Méditerranée in a press note.
"To criminalize and try to stop those who are trying to save lives is unacceptable and offensive," the note continued.
Over 10 thousand citizens signed a petition calling on institutions to "Stop this massacre of women, children, and men, and to intervene with a united and shared response: let's see if with the next legislature we shall be able to deliver their (and ours) message to Brussels," stated the activists of the NGO.
Also watch: Video: Lives lost on the Mediterranean