Seabird, a plane operated by German NGO Sea-Watch, is seen from the migrant rescue ship Sea-Watch 3 as it patrols the search and rescue zone in international waters off the coast of Libya, in the western Mediterranean Sea, July 28, 2021. REUTERS/Darrin Zammit Lupi/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab

ROME, Aug 8 (Reuters) – Italy has grounded a reconnaissance plane used by a German migrant rescue charity, in the first use of tighter regulations for such aircraft, the NGO said.

The National Civil Aviation Authority (ENAC) confirmed on Friday that the Sea-Watch group’s Seabird 1 plane had been placed under administrative detention.

It said it acted after being informed by the Italian coastguard that the Seabird 1’s pilot had failed to notify relevant authorities about an emergency situation at sea.

Sea-Watch called the aircraft’s detention “a new escalation in the Italian government’s fight against civilian human rights observation in the Mediterranean”.

Italy has temporarily halted dozens of charity rescue vessels, and last year passed a decree allowing similar measures against charity-operated aircraft.

The tighter regulations for rescue vessels and planes, which are used to spot boats in distress, were brought in under Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who in the past accused charities of cooperating with traffickers to bring in more migrants.

The government said the crackdown was necessary to ensure better coordination with authorities and avoid abuses. Charities say the measures seriously limit their capacity to operate, putting migrants’ lives at risk.

Sea-Watch said it was considering legal options against the grounding of its plane and had deployed another monitoring aircraft to continue its work.

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. , opens new tab

Suggested Topics:

Read Next

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday criticized Israel’s plan to take control of Gaza City, with the U.N. chief’s spokesperson saying the decision marked “a dangerous escalation” that will result in forced displacement of Palestinians.

Site Index

About Reuters

Stay Informed

Information you can trust

Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the world’s largest multimedia news provider, reaching billions of people worldwide every day. Reuters provides business, financial, national and international news to professionals via desktop terminals, the world’s media organizations, industry events and directly to consumers.

Read More