Danish-flagged tanker, the Maersk Etienne, has morally and physically marooned itself off the east coast of Malta after it saved 27 Tunisian refugees at the beginning of August.
It is subsequently being shunned by governments and ports as desperation on board grows.
Moreover, last weekend anguish drove one of the refugees saved by the tanker, a pregnant woman, to throw herself overboard along with a minor and another person.
All three were saved but the condition of the woman’s unborn child is not known.
The Etienne was bound for the Port of Valletta when the government of Malta requested that it rescue the stricken refugees.
According to AP Møller Holding company chief executive, Robert Maersk Ugla, it’s not the first time that the line has found itself in a position where one of its carriers has had to lift people from the sea.
However, it’s an entirely new experience for a Maersk vessel to be prevented from docking and waiting in vain for humanitarian assistance from countries such as Malta, which took the lead in refusing the Etienne entry to Valletta after actually asking the ship’s captain to help the refugees.
With the Etienne now adrift outside Malta’s domestic waters, the predicament of its seafarers and saved but unwanted passengers, has prompted Ulga to take to social media.
“The case sets a terrible precedent for the global merchant fleet and the Mediterranean trade lane. While our group has rescued thousands of people over the years, we struggle to remember ever having a case where a vessel and its crew have been left without support from authorities for so long.”
The development has left the ocean freight industry dumbfounded, Ulga laments.
Human Rights Watch in New York is believed to have added its voice to the growing outcry about what’s happening to the Etienne.
“While many of us acknowledge the challenging political considerations, we are desperately waiting for Malta and Denmark to find a solution for the refugees with the EU or other relevant parties so the ship and its crew can be released.”