The leader of a Spanish rescue mission said on Sunday that Italian authorities had refused to grant port access to its Open Arms ship, leaving the vessel stranded in rough conditions in the Mediterranean with more than 70 African migrants on board.
The 73 migrants were picked up from a packed rubber dinghy drifting about 50 miles off Libya on Wednesday night.
Italy has allowed the ship to enter its national waters to shelter from a storm but has refused to let the vessel dock, the charity said.
Open Arms Mission Chief Ricardo Gatti, who is onboard the ship, said the organization has requested to land in Italy and Malta but has been denied permission. Italy suggested that the ship should dock at the Libyan port of Tripoli, he said.
"We continue to ask for a safe port to disembark which is a legal obligation by the government according to international conventions. We have people on board who probably need to be evacuated due to health issues," Gatti said.