Ocean Viking with 182 Migrants Waits to Dock in Europe

Migrants are silhouetted during the sunrise on the deck of the Ocean Viking as it sails in the Mediterranean Sea, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019. AP photo
Migrants are silhouetted during the sunrise on the deck of the Ocean Viking as it sails in the Mediterranean Sea, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019. AP photo
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Ocean Viking with 182 Migrants Waits to Dock in Europe

Migrants are silhouetted during the sunrise on the deck of the Ocean Viking as it sails in the Mediterranean Sea, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019. AP photo
Migrants are silhouetted during the sunrise on the deck of the Ocean Viking as it sails in the Mediterranean Sea, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019. AP photo

A nonprofit-run ship carrying 182 migrants rescued on the Mediterranean Sea sailed back and forth between Italy and Malta while awaiting permission to dock at a European port, with its passengers growing increasingly worried about where they would wind up, the Associated Press reported.

Over three days last week, the Norwegian-flagged Ocean Viking, a search-and-rescue vessel jointly operated by two aid groups, picked up 217 people from four unseaworthy boats in the central Mediterranean. The migrants had departed from Libya.

The island nation of Malta, a European Union member, on Friday allowed in 35 migrants who were rescued at the country's request in waters under its responsibility. The 182 remaining on the rescue ship are sleeping on decks and floors, including a newborn baby and 13 other children under age 15.

"Is the EU aware of the situation we are facing?" Kemo Kebbeh, a 25-year-old man from Gambia, asked representatives of SOS Mediterranee and Doctors Without Borders who were aboard the Ocean Viking.

He was referring to conditions on the ship but also to the danger and human rights violations migrants face before seting off for Europe in human traffickers' boats.

Malta has forwarded Ocean Viking's request for a safe place to disembark passengers to Norway, France and Italy.

Erkinalp Kelisi of Doctors Without Borders said he had a hard time explaining to the migrants on board the Ocean Viking why they couldn't be transferred to Malta like the 35 others. Malta and Italy so far have refused to accept any passengers, deferring responsibility to other EU nations.

"They are all people. They are all equal, and the system of disembarkation that is imposed has to be the same," Kelisi said.

According to the International Organization for Migration, 6,570 migrants have arrived in Italy by sea so far this year and 2,260 in Malta. Both nations, typically the nearest arrival point for ships crossing the central Mediterranean, want other EU members to share the load.

The 28-nation bloc hasn't reached an agreement on an automatic system for determining where rescued migrants are allowed to land and potentially seek asylum.

The Maltese government plans to host a meeting Monday with French, German and Italian authorities in an attempt to formalize a temporary deal to manage the standoffs that can keep migrants stuck at sea for week, AP said.

Politicians in favor of blocking the ships accuse NGOs of colluding with smugglers. But data shows that most sea arrivals through the central Mediterranean do not happen through charity rescues.

Italy allowed the Ocean Viking last week to disembark at tiny Lampedusa island 82 migrants who were rescued during an earlier mission. But in a scenario that has played out several times before, the Italian government gave the authorization only after Germany, France, Portugal and Luxembourg agreed to take a share of the group.



Trump in Saudi Speech Urges Iran Toward a ‘New and a Better Path’ as He Pushes for Nuclear Deal

US President Donald Trump speaks during the Saudi-US investment forum at the King Abdul Aziz International Conference Center in Riyadh on May 13, 2025. (AFP)
US President Donald Trump speaks during the Saudi-US investment forum at the King Abdul Aziz International Conference Center in Riyadh on May 13, 2025. (AFP)
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Trump in Saudi Speech Urges Iran Toward a ‘New and a Better Path’ as He Pushes for Nuclear Deal

US President Donald Trump speaks during the Saudi-US investment forum at the King Abdul Aziz International Conference Center in Riyadh on May 13, 2025. (AFP)
US President Donald Trump speaks during the Saudi-US investment forum at the King Abdul Aziz International Conference Center in Riyadh on May 13, 2025. (AFP)

President Donald Trump in a speech in Saudi Arabia urged Iran to take a “new and a better path” as he pushes for a new nuclear deal.

Trump said at the US-Saudi investment conference, during a four-day Middle East trip, that he wants to avoid conflict with Tehran.

“As I have shown repeatedly, I am willing to end past conflicts and forge new partnerships for a better and more stable world, even if our differences may be profound,” Trump said.

The comments came as Trump kick off the Middle East trip on Tuesday with his visit to Saudi capital. The latest entreaty to Tehran comes days after Trump dispatched his special envoy Steve Witkoff to meet with Iranian officials for a fourth round of talks aimed at persuading Iran to abandon its nuclear program.

“As President of the United States, my preference will always be for peace and partnership, whenever those outcomes can be achieved,” Trump said.