Captain fears refugee mutiny
2004-07-11 14:36
Rome - The captain of a German ship which picked up 37 African immigrants in the Mediterranean appealed Sunday to Sicilian port authorities to allow him to dock, saying he no longer had control of the situation on board.
"I no longer have control of the situation," Stefan Schmidt of the Cap Anamur, said in a radio message to coastguards in Porto Empedocle, on the island's southcoast.
He said that unless he received permission, he would put into port "as an emergency first measure".
"I fear I have no other option to prevent any danger to the crew and to the refugees," he said.
Tension on the boat was running extremely high and several refugees had tried to throw themselves into the sea in desperation, according to lawyer Salvatore Filippini La Rosa, who has been following the situation.
The 37 African "boat people" were fished out the sea on June 20 by the Cap Anamur, which is chartered by a Cologne-based German humanitarian organisation of the same name.
The ship put into Malta before making its way to Porto Empedocle, where it has been moored since July 1.
Italy has so far refused permission allow the illegal immigrants to land, maintaining that Malta should have allowed them to do so.