A German-owned general cargoship took on board 151 migrants late on 8 September, Greek coastguards reported on Wednesday.
The migrants were drifting on a yacht 5.5 nautical miles (10 km) northeast of the Aegean island of Amorgos when the 10,900-dwt Jork (built 2010) picked them up, Greek coastguards said.
The operation took place under adverse weather conditions of fresh gale-strong winds measuring up to 8 on the Beaufort scale.
Greek coastguards and a Hellenic Navy helicopter assisted during the rescue.
The Jork is listed in the fleet of Fischer Reederei and operated by Heinz Corleis Reederei, both of which are based in Germany. According to MarineTraffic, the vessel was en route from Dammam, Saudi Arabia, to the Turkish port of Diliskelesi, near Istanbul.
Vessel tracking data shows the ship as currently immobile just outside the Turkish port of Cesme.
Managers at Fischer Reederei declined to respond to a TradeWinds request for additional information, citing the developing character of the incident.
It is, therefore, unclear if a situation similar to that of the 36,900-dwt tanker Maersk Etienne (built 2014) could unfold, where 27 migrants are stuck on board because the government of Malta refuses to allow them to set foot on land.
Turkey, however, has no stated policy to refuse disembarkation of immigrants. The country hosts millions of refugees and asylum seekers on its soil, mostly from Syria.
Migrant shelter crisis
Meanwhile in neighbouring Greece, authorities are scrambling to find shelter for more than 10,000 refugees and migrants left without a roof over their head, after a fire destroyed their camp.
The government announced on Wednesday that it had deployed a ferry by Attica Group subsidiary Blue Star Ferries to host the 1,000 most vulnerable among them.
The ship, which has not been immediately identified, was due to reach the island of Lesbos later on 9 September, migration minister Notis Mitarachi said.
According to Mitarachi, Blue Star made the ship available free of charge. The minister did not clarify how long the vessel will be in Lesbos on these terms.
Asylum seekers set fire to the Moria camp on the island after Greek authorities tried to confine 35 of them for contracting Covid-19. The Moria camp has been criticised for years for overcrowding and poor living conditions.
In the past, Greece has fixed private passengerships on short-term contracts to ferry migrants illegally entering the country from Turkey to the Greek mainland.
Bankrolled by European Union funds, such fixtures have been a welcome business opportunity for ferry companies with ships idling outside the busy tourism season. They would be equally welcome this year. Greek passenger shipping is set to lose half of its income during 2020, due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
