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The government is acting “with humanity”, but at the same time clearly adhering to its “principles,” Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi said in Rome on Monday.

Meanwhile, three refugees stranded on a rescue ship jumped into the sea in the port of Catania, Sicily. The men were quickly removed from the water, says the NGO Doctors Without Borders, which operates the vessel Geo Barentsz. One of the three men had apparently tried to save the other two after they jumped into the sea.

About a dozen other migrants shouted “Help us!” from the deck of the Geo Barentsz after the incident, according to a reporter from the AFP news agency.

The “Geo Barentsz” entered the port of Catania on Sunday. Italian authorities disembarked 357 migrants, including children, but 215 others had to stay on board. One of them was later taken to hospital with acute abdominal pain.

According to Doctors Without Borders, many of the people on board suffer from “contagious skin diseases” and are under great psychological stress. The options for treating sick migrants on the ship are limited.

The German-flagged rescue vessel “Humanity 1” is also anchored in the port of Catania. On Sunday, 144 minors and sick people had been given permission to go ashore. According to the rescue organization SOS Humanity, 35 men had to stay on board. Those affected were assessed as healthy. However, no translator was present during the study and no psychological examination was performed.

SOS Humanity announced legal action against the Italian government. “Humanity 1” Captain Joachim Ebeling defied the authorities’ request to leave the port. All survivors have the right to disembark at a safe harbor, Ebeling told reporters on Monday. He’s not going anywhere with the people on board.

Interior Minister Piantedosi said on Monday that he is working at national and European level to find a solution for dealing with migrants on board the rescue ships.

The UN called for all migrants on the rescue ships to land immediately. A coalition of 20 non-governmental organizations, including Oxfam and Human Rights Watch, also issued an “urgent appeal”. In it, they called on Italy, Malta and the EU to end the “suffering” of the people trapped on the rescue ships and provide them with shelter.

Italy’s new government, led by far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, has announced a restrictive course in dealing with boat people. Two other ships have been waiting for days off the Italian coast for permission to disembark their rescued ships. One of the ships, Mission Lifeline’s “Rise Above,” has reportedly been assigned a port.

More than 500 migrants in distress off the coast of Malta were rescued by Italian authorities and taken to Sicily, Syracuse Prefect Giuseppa Scaduto told AFP. These people would be screened first and then sent to shelters, she explained. (sda/afp)