Ship carrying 311 migrants finally docks in Spain after refugees spend Christmas on Mediterranean Sea

DOZENS of Nigerians are believed to be among the latest batch of 311 migrants rescued off the coast of Libya and ferried to Spain after spending a traumatic Christmas on the Mediterranean after several European nations denied the ship carrying them entry.

Over the weekend, a charity rescue vessel carrying the mainly African migrants docked in the port of Crinavis near the southern city of Algeciras to applause. Proactiva Open Arms, the Spanish charity which runs the Open Arms vessel carrying them, feted the arrival with a Mission accomplished tweet.

Vicente Raimundo, the director of intervention in Spain for the charity Save The Children, added: “These are people, both children and adults, who have had really horrible experiences in both their countries of origin and during their journey. Some of the 139 children aboard came from countries at war such as Somalia and Syria.”

After disembarking, the migrants were met by Red Cross officials who gave them clothes and food and conducted medical tests if required. Police will identify the migrants who were rescued on December 21 from three vessels but were denied entry by Italy and Malta.

Libya, France and Tunisia did not respond to Proactiva Open Arms’ requests for permission to dock and on Saturday, a newborn baby and his mother were helicoptered from the boat to Malta, while a 14-year-old suffering from a serious skin infection was taken to the Italian island of Lampedusa. Photos and videos posted by the charity showed the rest of the rescued migrants marking Christmas at sea listening to music and singing.

Some children wore red Santa hats as they huddled together on the small rescue ship. Proactiva Open Arms operates in the sea between Libya and southern Europe, coming to the aid of migrants who get into difficulties during the crossing from northern Africa.

This was the first time since August that Spain has allowed a charity rescue ship to dock and unload migrants in the country. Open Arms resumed its patrols of the Mediterranean off the Libyan coast in late November, along with two other boats run by migrant aid groups.

In August it had suspended its missions, accusing governments and Italian interior minister Matteo Salvini criminalising migrant rescue charities. Mr Salvini has denied the groups access to Italy’s ports, accusing them of acting as a taxi service for migrants, while Malta too has been increasingly unwilling to host rescue vessels.

Proactiva Open Arms’ founder Camps told Mr Salvini: “Your rhetoric and your message will, like everything in this life, end. However, you should know that in a few decades your descendants will be ashamed of what you do and say.”

More than 1,300 migrants have perished trying to reach Italy or Malta since the beginning of the year, according to the International Organization for Migration.  Spain has now become Europe’s main entry point for migrants this year, overtaking Greece and Italy as over 56,000 migrants have arrived in Spain by sea this year, with 769 dying trying.