TRIPOLI: Libya's coastguard and an international charity ship picked up several hundred migrants on Saturday as smugglers trying to take advantage of calm seas launched a flurry of boats towards Italy.
Libyan coastguard vessels intercepted two of the migrant boats, the first an inflatable dinghy that had broken down with 125 people on board off Zawiya, just west of the capital, Tripoli, said Ayoub Qassem, a coastguard spokesman.
The second boat was turned back off Garabulli, east of Tripoli, and had 112 people on board.
One boat with 110 migrants on board made it as far as a rescue ship operated by Doctors Without Borders (MSF) operating about 21 miles from the coast west of Tripoli, which was preparing to deliver the migrants to Italy.
More than half the migrants on that boat were Nigerians, with the rest from other sub-Saharan African countries as well as two Palestinians.
Meanwhile the coastguard in Zuwara, a former Libyan smuggling hub west of Zawiya, said they had foiled a departure during the night and arrested some migrants whilst others had escaped with smugglers.
The coastguard posted pictures of detained sub-Saharan African migrants sitting in an inflatable rubber boat on the beach in the dark.
Libya is the main departure point for migrants attempting to reach Europe by sea. More than 600,000 migrants have crossed the central Mediterranean to Italy over the past four years as people smugglers took advantage of a security vacuum in Libya.
Since last summer the rate of departures dropped significantly after smugglers in the Libyan town of Sabratha struck a deal with the Tripoli government to halt their activities and were then pushed out of the town by rival armed groups.
Libya's EU-backed coastguard has also stepped up interceptions, often cutting migrant boats off before they can reach international vessels that would bring them to Europe.
Hundreds of migrants picked up between Libya and Italy
Hundreds of migrants picked up between Libya and Italy
Greece warns shipping fleet of risks after Black Sea drone attacks
- Greek-operated ships are among the world’s largest fleets of tankers and are pivotal for trade across the Black Sea region
- War insurance costs for ships sailing to the Black Sea have jumped this week
ATHENS: Greece has warned its shipping fleet to review their security measures when sailing to Russian Black Sea ports after drone attacks on two Greek-operated tankers this week, according to shipping ministry adviseries.
Drones struck two oil tankers on Tuesday, including one chartered by US oil major Chevron, as they sailed toward a Black Sea terminal on Russia’s Black Sea coast.
Greek-operated ships are among the world’s largest fleets of tankers and are pivotal for trade across the Black Sea region, whose waters are shared by Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania and Turkiye, as well as warring Russia and Ukraine.
“It is recommended that the security managers of shipping companies, the masters and the security officers of Greek ships proceed with an updated threat assessment for commercial ships located in the Black Sea and the maritime areas close to it,” the shipping ministry said in one of the documents seen by Reuters that were issued after the attacks.
War insurance costs for ships sailing to the Black Sea have jumped this week, reflecting the worsening risk environment.
One of the tankers targeted on Tuesday was Matilda, which was managed by Greece’s Thenamaris and hit by two drones.
While there were no injuries or serious damage to the vessel, a Thenamaris official said that the company had since then stepped up additional precautionary security measures and advised crew on their vessels to increase vigilance and avoid unnecessary exposure, mainly movement on the deck.
The ministry referred shipping companies to an earlier document published in April 2022 that recommended that additional protective security measures be maintained for a certain period as a result of increased risk for the Russian Black Sea ports of Novorossiysk, Taman, Tuapse and Kavkaz.
