This archive report was first published on 22 August 2019.
Published on August 22, 2019, a migrant boat standoff has left the tiny Italian island of Lampedusa struggling to accommodate the influx of migrants.
The Ocean Viking, a Norwegian-flagged vessel operated by Doctors Without Borders and SOS Mediterranee, has been seeking a port for nearly two weeks after rescuing four boats of migrants off the Libyan coast between August 9 and 12.
"It would be difficult because the reception centre is saturated," Lampedusa Mayor Salvatore Martello told AFP, highlighting the island's capacity issues.
Italy's far-right Interior Minister Matteo Salvini has been accused of demonizing migrants and leaving them to drown in the sea, with thousands attempting to cross from Libya to Europe this year.
Despite efforts to deter them, the migrants are seeking a safe haven in Europe, with the European Union's migrant redistribution deal yet to be implemented.
Portugal has offered to help the migrant crisis off the coast of Italy, saying it is "available" to welcome up to 35 of the 356 migrants on board the Ocean Viking.
France has also expressed its willingness to take in a large number of migrants from the Ocean Viking, while insisting that the vessel should be allowed to dock at the nearest port.
