EU court limits national checks for migrant rescue ships

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union’s top court says maritime authorities cannot impound ships involved in search-and-rescue work just because they think the vessels might be overloaded due to the number of migrants aboard. Monday’s European Court of Justice ruling came in response to an appeal by the German migrant aid group Sea-Watch. Two of its ships were inspected in Sicily in 2020 after disembarking migrants. Italian harbor authorities said they had more people aboard than they were authorized to carry. But the court says rescued people “must not be taken into account when verifying whether the rules on safety at sea have been complied with.” Sea-Watch is hailing the ruling as a victory.