Like four other migrants on board the boat, a fifth migrant has also tried to swim to the port of Lampedusa during the early hours of Tuesday. He jumped out of the boat with the intention of reaching a port located about 800 meters from the boat, and was intercepted by the Italian Coast Guard.

Since 1 August, 107 migrants have been rescued from the Mediterranean and over time the situation inside the vessel has deteriorated. Oscar Camps, of the NGO Pro Activa Oper Arms, has declared that they are “confined in an iron box”, with water and food in rations. In his words, “this is resembling the situation of a detention centre in Libya, but in Italian waters.” As a symptom of the situation, nine migrants and a companion have been evacuated to Cruces Hospital last night for health problems.

Berth request in Italy

Anxiety crises, shocks, fights and clashes are everyday, so Oper Arms members see the need to land at the nearest port. This port is Lampedusa, as it is about 800 meters high.

In the absence of authorization to dock in Italy, the Spanish Government granted the port of Algeciras (Andalusia) for the first time to the vessel Open Arms. However, Open Arms members say it is too far away due to the 950 miles separating Lampedusa from Algeciras, with about 1,800 kilometers of travel. Subsequently, the president of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, offered them the ports of Mallorca and Mao, but due to the extreme situation, they were also rejected by the Catalan NGO.

However, taking into account the proposals of the Spanish Government, the Italian NGO President Riccardo Gatti has proposed the following: The landing in Lampedusa or Catania (Sicily) and the subsequent transfer of migrants by plane to Spain. In Gatti's words, this possibility would mean saving time and spending.