Malta grants safe haven to rescue ship ending 6-day odyssey

VALLETTA, Malta -- A humanitarian rescue ship stuck at sea for six days was granted safe haven in Malta and the more than 200 migrants onboard will be distributed among eight European Union states, Malta's prime minister announced Wednesday, ending Europe's second impasse in recent weeks over the fate of people saved at sea amid rising political resistance to their welcome.

Joseph Muscat said once in port, the Lifeline Mission ship will be impounded and the crew placed under investigation for allegedly operating illegally -- including violating rescue protocols and operating without the correct registration. The migrants, who were rescued off Libya's coast, will be vetted to determine if they are eligible for political asylum or if they are economic migrants to be sent back to their countries of origin.

Muscat said Malta had no legal obligation to act since the rescue happened in Libyan waters, but said it was willing to act "before the situation escalates to a humanitarian crisis." The ship was expected to arrive early Wednesday evening, weather conditions permitting.

The eight countries to accept vetted migrants from the ship are France, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal, Ireland, the Netherlands, Belgium and Malta itself. It was unclear how many each would take.

While Muscat emphasized the Lifeline case was unique because of the alleged violations of the crew, the refusal by Italy and Malta to open their ports to the ship -- and the haggling among EU states over how to distribute the migrants -- showed a hardening of positions as EU leaders head into a summit where migration policies are expected to be the focus.

Earlier this month, Italy and Malta both refused port to a French humanitarian ship, forcing some 630 migrants to travel an additional 900 miles to Spain.

The fate of the ship operated by the German group had appeared resolved a day earlier when Italy announced it would take some of the migrants and Malta would open its ports. But Malta later said the ship was not welcome until it had a deal for all of the migrants on board. On Wednesday, Malta allowed the ship to enter its waters to seek shelter from rough sea conditions, before announcing it could dock.