Spain has agreed to welcome the migrant rescue ship Aquarius after Italy and Malta failed to reach a consensus over which country should welcome it.

“It is our obligation to help avoid a humanitarian catastrophe and to offer a safe harbour to these people, in accordance to our obligations of international law,” Spain’s new president Pedro Sánchez said.

Moments before releasing this statement, Valencia’s president Ximo Puig said Spain had requested to the UN that the ship land in Valencia.

Valencia’s mayor Joan Ribó described his town as a “refuge city” and said it would be “absolutely inhuman” to leave a ship adrift like the Aquarius was.

Barcelona’s mayor Ada Colau also offered to welcome the ship, arguing that saving human lives should be prioritised.

Malta’s Prime Minister Joseph Muscat welcomed Sanchez’s move, which he said was pre-empted by Italy breaking international rules and causing a standoff.

“Malta will be sending fresh supplies to the vessel,” Muscat said. “We will have to sit down and discuss how to prevent this from happening again.This is a European issue.”

Spain’s intervention comes after Italy closed its ports to a ship, run by a NGO, that was carrying 629 migrants it had rescued from Libyan waters. Italy demanded that Malta take in the migrants, arguing that the island was the closest safe port, but Malta accused Italy of breaching its international obligations.

The UNHCR urged the two countries to put aside their differences and bring the migrants to land, warning they were running out of provisions.

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Tim Diacono

Tim is interested in the rapid evolution of human society and is passionate about justice, human rights and cutting-edge political debates. You can follow him on Instagram or Twitter/X at @timdiacono or reach out to him at [email protected]