A cargo ship docked in the Sicilian port of Pozzallo on Tuesday with 108 rescued migrants on board, bringing to an a four-day stand-off between European officials after Italy's hardline interior minister Matteo Salvini refused the vessel a port of entry.
The migrants were taken from the 'Maersk' cargo vessel to a processing centre in Pozzallo, where five other migrants from the ship including a pregnant woman and a small girl were transferred from the ship on Saturday due to health problems.
Doctors said the condition of the other 108 migrants who landed in Pozzallo on Tuesday was good.
Pozzallo's mayor Roberto Ammatuna on Monday appealed to Salvini to allow the 'Maersk' to enter Pozzallo's port on humanitarian grounds.
A second ship, operated by the German charity Lifeline, was expected to dock in Malta on Tuesday with 234 Africans on board after being left stranded in the Mediterranean since last Wednesday when it was blocked by Italy.
Salvini, who has been in office less than a month, is taking a tough stance against rescue ships carrying migrants to Italian ports.
