Ocean Viking leaves Marseille

Ocean Viking leaves Marseille - The Ocean Viking, the new boat chartered by SOS Mediterranean and Médecins sans Frontières, has begun its first rescue mission off the coast of Libya leaving the port of  Marseille shortly after 10pm on Sunday despite the uncertainty around ports of reception and the closure of Italian waters. Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini has signed two new orders prohibiting humanitarian ships from entering Italian territorial waters and at least 164 migrants, including women and children, were still stranded at sea on Friday. The 31 people of the Ocean Viking team are preparing for a possible wandering along the coast. The Mediterranean, whose surface is only 1% of the surface covered by the waters of the planet, has become the deadliest shipping route in the world. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), 840 people have disappeared since the beginning of the year, not counting shipwrecks not listed.