The crew from the German aid organization Sea-Eye has been given permission to dock in Sicily with nearly 30 rescued migrants on board their ship, it announced on Twitter on Sunday.
The rescue mission’s organizers had decided on Thursday to head for the Italian island as two heavily pregnant women and four babies needed to be brought ashore immediately and given medical care.
The crew had found the migrants drifting in the central Mediterranean in an overcrowded wooden boat on Wednesday. They had set off from Libya in good weather, but conditions subsequently worsened.
According to Sea-Eye, the Italian coastguard had initially not taken over the coordination of the docking and referred to the German authorities. The ship is now allowed to dock in Porto Empedocle.
Migrants and refugees fleeing war and poverty often set out from Libya and Tunisia, hoping to reach Italy via the Mediterranean. However, many run into difficulties during the perilous crossing.
So far this year nearly 1,100 migrants have died during a crossing attempt, according to the United Nations.