Italian authorities have detained an NGO-operated vessel after it came to the aid of 33 illegal migrants in the Mediterranean Sea.
German NGO SOS Humanity's vessel Humanity 1 was placed under detention at the Port of Trapani in Sicily on Friday, February 13. The detention means local authorities will not permit the vessel to sail for 60 days.
The NGO has also been ordered to pay a fine of €10,000 (US$12,000) for violating maritime regulations.
Italy's Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi said that the detention was justified in light of SOS Humanity's "irresponsible behaviour" that placed migrants' lives at risk.
The seizure of the vessel came just days after Italy's cabinet approved legislation authorising the imposition of naval blockades aimed at preventing the arrival of illegal migrant boats.
Under the new law, such boats could be banned from entering Italy's territorial waters for up to six months, "in cases of serious threat to public order or national security," the country's cabinet said.
Friday's seizure is Humanity 1's second time to be detained in three months.
