Refugee ship blocked from Sicilian port

A German aid ship which has sailed southern Mediterranean waters for three weeks in search of a haven for its passengers, including 36 Sudanese seeking asylum, was blocked by Italian coast guard motorboats from docking at a Sicilian port.

Police and Coast Guard craft had escorted the aid group Cap Anamur’s ship towards Porto Empedocle, but then an array of Coast Guard and police boats guarded the entrance to the port, preventing the ship from docking.