A Maersk Line ship has saved 113 migrants from a boat in distress off southern Italy.
The 1,068-teu Alexander Maersk (built 1998) responded to the emergency on Thursday evening, the shipowner told AFP.
It changed course to reach the scene in international waters on Friday morning.
The ship was off the coast of Sicily on Monday, awaiting instructions from the Italian Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC).
It was responding to a request from the MRCC in the first place.
The ship was en route from Al Khoms, Libya, to Malta.
"The vessel is receiving timely support from the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre, which Saturday evening arranged for the disembarkation of five persons from the vessel, mainly children and one pregnant woman, and delivered supplies to the vessel such as blankets and food," it added.
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 rescue was part of "an ancient code of conduct," a Maersk spokesman said.
The mercy mission comes at a time when the fate of migrants attempting to cross from Africa is back in the news.
Controversial stance
Italy's new government has been threatening to seize NGO vessels carrying migrants.
Danish minister for immigration Inger Stojberg told broadcaster DR that Italy must accept the migrants.
She said the position of the Italian government was “unsustainable” and “unreasonable”.
“It is unreasonable towards Maersk to put them in a situation in which they have a ship full of migrants, not least migrants whom they have been asked to help by the authorities, and this is therefore a question in which the Italians certainly should allow them to be brought to an Italian harbour,” she said.
“This is costing Maersk a lot of money with every hour their ship is off the coast without being able to unload the migrants, so this must [be resolved] quickly.”
