Malta defies EU, rejects African migrants

Malta has refused to allow a tanker ship carrying 102 African migrants to dock despite European objections.

The European Commission told Malta that it had a duty to admit the migrants on humanitarian grounds, according to BBC.

The African migrants, include four pregnant women and a five-month-old baby. One of the women onboard is said to be injured, according to the captain.

The Maltese government said it had sent medics to check on the health of the migrants and provide food and water. They claim that none of the migrants were in serious condition nor needed evacuation.

The migrants were allegedly stranded at sea and picked up by the Liberian-flagged tanker, Salamis about 24 miles off the Libyan coast.

Instead of returning the migrants to Libya, the boat carried on to Malta, ignoring instructions by both Italy and Malta to return the ship to Libya.

On Tuesday, EU Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom said that the ship captain was in the right and Malta was now the closest port.

Malta has said that it denied the captain entry into its international waters and that it was acting under international law.

The ship departed from the Libyan port of Khoms and was bound for Malta when the incident occurred.

"This is a matter of principle for us, because if we allow this to take place, it will create a dangerous precedent for us. There is no emergency: these people were rescued, they are in a good state, and they were waving at the AFM [Maltese armed forces] helicopter as it descended," said Minister for Home Affairs, Manuel Mallia, according to the BBC.

Malta receives thousands of migrants each year, mainly from North and Sub-saharan Africa.