The fate of the humanitarian boat has been at the heart of a showdown between France and Italy for several days.
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The humanitarian ship ocean viking docked Friday, November 11 at the military port of Toulon (Var) where he must disembark 230 migrants he rescued in the Mediterranean off Libya, explained the maritime prefecture. After three weeks of wandering in vain in search of a safe port in Italy, the humanitarian ship of the NGO SOS Méditerranée arrived at the dock in France around 8:50 a.m., according to the maritime prefecture.
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This is the first landing in France of an ambulance ship rescuing migrants in the Mediterranean. Criticizing the Italian authorities’ refusal, France agreed to host theocean viking and operated in partnership with the International Federation of the Red Cross under “a duty of humanity”announced Thursday the Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin.
A French doctor boarded on board before the ship docked, Méryl Sotty, spokesperson for SOS Méditerranée, told AFP. “The disembarkation will start first with people with particular vulnerabilities established by the French doctor, then women, children and families”, she added. These people will immediately be placed in an international waiting area. An AFP journalist outside the military port saw buses arriving at this port.