Italian authorities punish Geo Barents rescue ship with two detention orders

Just as the MSF team was about to finish the rescue, with no more than 20 people left in the boat out of 110, a Libyan Coast Guard patrol boat2, donated by Italy, arrived on the scene.  

“The Libyan patrol boat arrived when we were almost finished with the operation, more than five hours after the first alert about these people in distress,” said Fulvia Conte, MSF search and rescue team leader. “They arrived, threatened to shoot, and carried out unsafe and intimidating manoeuvres around the people in distress and the MSF rescue team.”

This is the fourth detention order for Geo Barents under the ‘Piantedosi decree’, following the one issued a month ago. That order was also for 60 days, but was later suspended by the Civil Court of Salerno.

In addition, a second detention order, under technical regulations, was issued on 23 September after a very in-depth Port State Control inspection of the vessel found eight technical deficiencies.  

“The Port State Control inspections are another layer of administrative and technical instrumentalisation of laws and regulations that the authorities have been using for the past seven years to obstruct the work of humanitarian search and rescue vessels in the Mediterranean,” added Conte. “Our vessel had successfully passed previous inspections; this one seems to have the intention to ensure we don’t operate anytime soon. We are moving to quickly address these deficiencies and to go back to prevent deaths at sea.”