MIGRANTS-EU-AQUARIUS-LIBYA

Italian Search and Rescue Coordinator Nicola Stalla member of SOS-Mediterranee NGO on board, poses on the bridge of the Aquarius rescue vessel, chartered by French NGO SOS-Mediterranee and Doctors Without Borders (MSF), on the open sea near Sardinia, Italy on June 28, 2018. - They rescued 630 migrants from Libya, wandering seven days in the Mediterranean in search of a port that agreed to host the Aquarius before berthing in Valencia: members of the crew of Aquarius have confided to AFP the penalties but also the joys of their mission. Answering a question on a memory of his almost ten months on board the ship: Since I first joined the mission of SOS Mediterranee on board the Aquarius I have faced many tough situations, working on a Search And Rescue ship in the deadliest sea area of the world. However, for me times have never been so challenging like today, where as a seafarer I see political considerations overtaking the universal priority of the Safety of Life at Sea. States policies are violating human rights at sea and hampering the seafarers obligation to provide assistance to any person in distress at sea, regardless of their nationality or status or the circumstances in which they are found. (Photo by PAU BARRENA / AFP) (Photo credit should read PAU BARRENA/AFP via Getty Images)