A boat purchased by Maltese people after retiring from rescue operations in the Mediterranean has been towed by the Italian coast guard towards Catania carrying migrants that attempted the crossing from Libya.
The boat, which is about 60 years old, was for some years operated by Sea Watch and Lifeline until 2020 when it was sold to Maltese owners presumably for scrap. The boat, still sporting the name ‘Lifeline’ was spotted in Malta’s grand harbour a year later as seen in this photograph published last night by Radio Radicale reporter Sergio Scandura.
The same boat was identified by the Italian coast guard with the name Kefah 1 flying the Libyan flag and carrying hundreds of migrants from Libya. It had been spotted last July sailing in the same waters east of Malta, including by Frontex flights. It was last seen late last year sailing to and from Montenegro and finishing its journey in Benghazi.
Radio Radicale have quoted Lifeline confirming the boat carrying migrants used to belong to them.
Attempts to contact the Maltese people who purchased the boat from NGOs in 2020 have so far been unsuccessful.