The merchant ship Elhiblu 1 with migrants on board was taken control of by the Maltese armed forces. A tanker that was hijacked by migrants off Libya docked in Malta on Thursday after the Maltese armed forces took control of the vessel. The 52-metre (170-foot) tanker was about 30 nautical miles from Malta when the Armed Forces of Malta (AFM) established communications with the captain. "The captain of the ship rescued the people and requested assistance. Boatloads of rescued migrants have in recent months refused to disembark in Libya, prompting the authorities there to use force.

Source: The North Africa Journal March 28, 2019 08:22 UTC