Italy Bars Ship Full of Sudan Refugees

Italian coast guard vessels blocked a ship carrying Sudanese refugees as it tried to dock Sunday in Sicily.

The captain of the Cap Anamur had called for help, saying that the refugees were threatening to jump overboard and that he was heading toward land whether authorized or not, Italian television reported.

Ambulances stood at the dock as the ship floated about 500 yards offshore. As evening arrived, the coast guard delivered bottles of water to the ship.

The Cap Anamur is operated by a Cologne, Germany-based aid group of the same name. The group said that it had come across a rubber dinghy June 20 containing 36 Sudanese -- many reportedly fleeing a humanitarian crisis in the western province of Darfur -- and a man from Sierra Leone.

The Italian Interior Ministry, which handles refugees and clandestine immigrants, said the captain had requested help, signaling that “he was no longer able to guarantee the control of the ship and the command of the crew” and was concerned about the well-being of the passengers.

The ministry said the passengers and crew would receive medical care if needed. But it said the boat would remain outside the port.

Some Italian news reports have said authorities suspect that the ship might have been provoking a standoff to test the immigration policies of European nations.

The Cap Anamur group said that the Sudanese gave the boat’s captain a handwritten asylum application late Saturday and that it was sent on to the German government. Germany’s Foreign Ministry declined to comment.

Earlier, Italian authorities had said the refugees had first passed through Malta and should have applied for asylum there.