Some 60 migrants in distress were rescued from migrant boats by merchant vessels on orders by Maltese authorities, the migrant emergency hotline Alarm Phone said on Monday.
“Good news. We have learned that the two boats in distress were rescued by merchant vessels that Malta eventually ordered to intervene. The rescued people will reach Malta this afternoon. We hope everyone is well onboard and thank captains and crews.”
A spokesperson for Alarm Phone confirmed with Times of Malta that 31 migrants onboard one of the boats had been taken aboard a merchant vessel and it had "strong indications" that those aboard the second boat had also been rescued.
The NGO expected the migrants to be disembarked in Malta later on Monday afternoon.
On Sunday night, Alarm Phone accused Maltese authorities of refusing to order rescue operations for the two boats carrying around 60 people in the country’s search and rescue zone.
“Malta told a nearby merchant vessel not to intervene,” the NGO had said on Sunday, describing the decision as a “cruel prevention of rescue.”
The weather was deteriorating quickly, and rescue was urgently needed, it said.
While NGOs have long criticised Malta for its track record on migrant boat rescues, last week a comment from a senior Italian politician hinted at growing tensions between the two countries about the issue.
"Malta's attitude is starting to grate," said Tommaso Foti, who heads the ruling right-wing Fratelli d'Italia grouping in Italy's parliament.
"They consistently pretend not to see and never intervene. Our coastguard is under pressure," he said.
Maltese authorities deny the existence of any plan to systematically ignore rescue calls.
On March 23, Times of Malta reported that Italy had rescued over 20,000 migrants and refugees crossing the Mediterranean since the start of the year.
At the time, Malta had rescued only one, according to data from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Since then, Italy has rescued an additional 10,000 people.
The UNHCR notes that with 441 lives lost since the start of this year, the period spanning January to March 2023 represents the deadliest quarter to date for those crossing the central Mediterranean since 2017.
Among others,Tamino Bohm - a tactical coordinator for search and rescue NGO Sea Watch - told Times of Malta it was rare to see Maltese authorities rescue a migrant boat in distress.
“I’ve been doing this job for over six years, and the last time I saw the AFM rescue someone was so long ago I can’t remember,” he said.
Last week, NGOs criticised the Maltese government for failing to coordinated a rescue, instead instructing a merchant ship to just refuel the boat.
The AFM had responded by saying it followed international obligations and there was no request for rescue from the people in the boat, a statement Alarm Phone described as 'absurd'.
Times of Malta has contacted the Home Affairs ministry and AFM for comment.