Migrants react aboard the Ocean Viking rescue ship, operated by French NGO SOS Mediterranee, after Italy announced they would be authorized to land on Sunday in the Mediterranean Sea. Photo: AFP

The migrant rescue ship Ocean Viking was detained on Wednesday over technical irregularities, Italy's coastguard said, a move blasted as "harassment" by the charity that runs the vessel.

The ship had been allowed to disembark at a Sicilian port on July 7, with 180 rescued migrants onboard transferred to another boat for a two-week coronavirus quarantine. Those two weeks ended on Tuesday - but on Wednesday the Ocean Viking was immobilized.

The Italian coastguard said in a statement that an inspection had revealed "several technical and operational irregularities" and the ship was under "administrative detention" until they were corrected.

The unspecified problems were "of a nature likely to compromise not only the safety of the ship and its crew, but also of the people who have been and could be recovered onboard," it added.

The coastguard also referred to "violations of regulations aimed at protecting marine environment."

SOS Mediterranee, which charters the Ocean Viking, released a furious statement condemning "a blatant administrative harassment maneuver aimed at impeding our lifesaving work."

"Over the past three months, the same argument over safety has been systematically used by Italian authorities to detain four NGO ships," Frederic Penard, director of operations at the organization, said.

The migrants - mainly from Bangladesh, Eritrea, North Africa and Pakistan - were picked up in four separate rescues in the Mediterranean on June 25 and 30.

AFP