A group of 106 people remain stranded off Malta, after the local authorities refused to offer a port of safety.

These include 22 unaccompanied minors and 15 others who so far have been treated for dehydration, seasickness and severe exhaustion, according to an NGO.

The people are aboard a humanitarian rescue ship that on Thursday called on Malta to provide shelter for people it had rescued from Libyan waters two days before Pope Francis lands here. The Pope has signalled that migration will be the focus of his visit.

The Sea Eye 4 is off Malta. Photo: Marine traffic

Times of Malta is informed that on Friday morning, Malta's armed forces told the Sea-Eye 4 that Malta was neither the "competent nor the coordinate authority" responsible for these asylum seekers.

It repeated this claim in the afternoon after the Sea-Eye persisted with its appeal for a shelter.

Earlier, the Malta RCC (Rescue Coordination Centre) urged Sea-Eye 4 to call on its flag state - Germany - for assistance. It added that the vessel should have drawn up a disembarkation plan with its flag authorities, and since it did not make any such arrangements, Germany was, by default, the place of safety it should head to. 

When contacted, Gorden Isler, spokesperson for Sea-Eye, said the RCC had "substantial duties of cooperation and coordination.

"If a Maltese ship needs help in the Baltic or the North Sea, the RCC in Germany would not refuse either and refer it to the RCC in Malta."

Sea-Eye is a non-profit- and civil sea rescue organisation that was founded in Germany. 

Later on Friday, Sea-Eye directed a question to Prime Minister Robert Abela, asking him how he would be able to look the pope in the eyes after not rescuing the migrants. 

Two rescue operations in two days

The 22 minors were rescued over two operations. 

A group of 32 people were taken over by the Sea-Eye 4 from the container ship Karina on Tuesday. They had been rescued from a small fishing boat in four-metre waves.

The Sea-Eye 4 then received a distress call on Wednesday afternoon. After several hours of sailing, the vessel found a grey rubber boat with 74 people, including children.

The people are from Egypt, Nigeria, Sudan, South Sudan and Syria.

74 people were rescued off a dinghy. Photo: Joe Rabe