Sea Watch back on migration patrol as Salvini warns Italy's ports are closed

The NGO migrants rescue Ship Sea Watch is off on another rescue mission off Libya, and the Italian Interior Minister, Matteo Salvini, has already warned it that Italy's harbours are close to any disembarkations.
The ship set sail on Saturday after being held up by more than a month by its own flag state, the Netherlands.  
'Our harbours are closed,' Salvini said in a tweet in reaction to the news. 
Last Tuesday a court in The Hague ruled that the flag state had unlawfully prevented the vessel from leaving port since the beginning of April. Previously, the Dutch Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management had issued new regulations for ships of non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The Sea-Watch 3 was the only ship to which the regulations came into immediate effect, without a transitional period which was previously promised by the minister, and then demanded by the judge.
"This obvious political blockade of a civil sea rescue asset has now been lifted by the court following a legal challenge issued by Sea-Watch. The ship is now back on mission and en route to the search and rescue (SAR) zone off Libya," Sea Watch International said. 



 
“Europe is letting people drown as...