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<p>The UK Government is aware<ins class="ministerial"> that, on 20 November 2018,
Italian authorities issued a warrant for </ins> <del class="ministerial">of</del>
the seizure of the Marine Vessel Aquarius <del class="ministerial">by the Italian
authorities</del> on grounds of waste pollution.<ins class="ministerial"> According
to the ship's operators, the vessel has been at the French port of Marseille since
4 October 2018 and, in the absence of a Flag State, is unable to leave port. Consequently
the warrant has not yet been executed. It</ins> <del class="ministerial">The vessel
operated as a Search and Rescue vessel in the central Mediterranean by Non-Governmental
Organisations (NGOs) 'SOS Méditerranée' and 'Médicins Sans Frontières' until September
2018. This matter is now subject to Italian legal processes and it</del> is not appropriate
for the UK Government to comment<ins class="ministerial"> on the legal process initiated
by the Italian authorities</ins>. <del class="ministerial">We recognise the importance
of Search and Rescue in the Mediterranean and value the contribution of NGOs in saving
lives at sea. We are concerned about the increasing fatality rate that has coincided
with the effective cessation of the Search and Rescue operations in the central Mediterranean
due to the lack of assurances over safe disembarkation arrangements. We will continue
to be involved with efforts to find a solution.</del></p>
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