112 passengers arrive on Daewoo-chartered ferry from Libya

112 passengers arrived in Malta on a chartered trip on a Virtu Ferries catamaran from Libya.

MaltaToday is informed that the ferry was chartered by Daewoo and eight Maltese nationals were on board the ferry. According to initial information, the Maltese nationals were informed of the chartered trip by the Foreign Affairs Ministry.

The Daewoo workers were Koreans, Bangladeshi and Thai. The workers have since been taken to the Malta International Airport.

The Maltese government has called back all diplomats from Libya because their life was at risk. Foreign Affairs Minister George Vella said the diplomatic situation was worsened by the fact that the Maltese embassy in the Libyan capital was in a city controlled by a self-proclaimed government which Malta does not recognise.

The Maltese government has also reactivated the crisis centre in Libya, encouraging Maltese nationals to return home.

“On the surface, life in Tripoli appears normal with shops remaining open. But the political pressure is there. We still remain available to help the Maltese businesses in Libya,” Vella had told reporters during a press briefing.

In parliament, Vella warned that the growing presence of ISIS in Libya could pose an unprecedented security threat in the Mediterranean and trigger mass migration.
“If ISIS sets a foothold in Libya, this would inevitably lead to a strong reaction from both Egypt and Algeria,” he said, adding that black ISIS flags were not confined to the Islamic caliphate in Derna but these were now visible in Tripoli.