The flag states of the NGO ships are obliged to grant political asylum on the basis of international laws
From Rear Admiral (ret.) Nicola de Felice
The phenomenon of NGO ships waiting off the Libyan coasts for the arrival of illegal immigrants has now entered the summer phase. Not a day goes by without one of these ships lying off Zuara or Al Zawiyah, west of Tripoli, waiting to rescue migrants in waters that, according to the UN, are under the jurisdiction of Libya, Malta or Tunisia. It is now the turn of the German ship Sea Eye 4, which is financed by the German Protestant Church and operated by the radical party Die Linke.
In addition to the other German ships Sea Watch 3 and 4, the Spanish Open Arms and the Norwegian Ocean Viking, the huge ship Geo Barents, which also sails under the Norwegian flag and was chartered by the NGO “Doctors Without Borders”, is now waiting for its deployment . 77 meters long, 21 meters wide, weighing 5,000 tons, it has two decks for migrants, a clinic, a delivery room and an observation room for all medical activities. It is a well-equipped ship, robust and suitable for long journeys.
Dirty business: trafficking in illegal immigrants brings smugglers at least 350 million euros in the summer – money that is reinvested in weapons and drugs
Meanwhile, human traffickers in Libya are rubbing their hands together and taking the toll illegal immigrants have to pay to reach Italy. It is paid by ethnicity: the Bengali pay up to 30,000 euros, followed by other Asians such as Syrians, Iraqis, Afghans, etc., while Sub-Saharan Africans pay a little less. A business that is estimated at around 350 million euros for the summer period alone and that is growing exponentially around the world; most of this income is reinvested in arms and drug trafficking in Africa.
In order to stop the departures due to the attractiveness factor (“pull factor”) that these ships objectively bring with them by placing themselves in front of the Libyan coasts and thus the inflatables of the migrants – battered and limited to a few miles range – in a dangerous way In order to reach the NGO ships, which greatly increases deaths on the high seas, we must immediately and firmly hold the flag states responsible for their obligations of international protection and political asylum. This in accordance with the canon established by international standards. A ship is legally the territory of the state under whose flag it sails, so Geo Barents and Ocean Viking are Norwegian territory, Sea Eye 4, Sea Watch 3 and 4 on German territory and Open Arms on Spanish territory. Therefore, the EU Dublin Regulation should be applied, which obliges the member states (Norway, although not in the EU, has ratified the agreement together with Switzerland) to take back these migrants. The ambassadors of these states in Italy should be called in immediately to ensure that they are complying with international maritime standards. Alternatively, these states should remove their flags from these NGO ships, which makes further exits impossible. to take these migrants back. The ambassadors of these states in Italy should be called in immediately to ensure that they are complying with international maritime standards. Alternatively, these states should remove their flags from these NGO ships, which makes further exits impossible. to take these migrants back. The ambassadors of these states in Italy should be called in immediately to ensure that they are complying with international maritime standards. Alternatively, these states should remove their flags from these NGO ships, which makes further exits impossible.
