All the migrants rescued in the Mediterranean by a Maersk Line vessel last week have now been disembarked in Italy.
The Danish owner said that following the instructions of the Maritime Response Coordination Centre (MRCC) in Rome, the 1,068-teu Alexander Maersk (built 1998) was able to berth at Pozzallo, Sicily.
"The vessel came alongside on 26 June 2018 and at 1:20am CET the 108 people, who were picked up by the vessel in international waters between Libya and Malta on Friday 21 June and still on board, were subsequently disembarked from the vessel," it added.
"The crew on Alexander Maersk has done a heroic job in the past days, and we are very proud of the way they handled this difficult situation. It has been a stressful time for the crew and we will focus on providing them time to rest and recover as well as offer any needed crisis counselling."
The ship had saved 113 migrants from a boat in distress off southern Italy, but five - mainly children and a pregnant woman - were allowed to leave the vessel earlier.
It was en route from Al Khoms, Libya, to Malta. AIS data showed it underway off Malta on Tuesday morning.
Since 2013, Maersk Line has assisted in search and rescue operations 40 times in the Mediterranean Sea.
Alexander Maersk has since 2015 assisted seven times in such operations, having taken people on board in three instances.
The mercy mission came at a time when the fate of migrants attempting to cross from Africa is back in the news.
Italy's new government has been threatening to seize NGO vessels carrying migrants.
