VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Malta’s record on maritime safety has hit a new low, with authorities responding to fewer than 1% of migrant distress calls in the first half of 2025, according to new data released by the Malta Migration Archive.
Figures show 242 distress cases involving more than 10,000 people between January and June, with Maltese authorities responding to just two incidents. The Archive accused the government of a “wanton abdication” of its search and rescue responsibilities.
The data also points to a sharp rise in illegal pushbacks coordinated with Libyan forces. Malta allowed the Libyan Coast Guard into its search and rescue zone at least 16 times during the period, more than double the number recorded in early 2024.
Around 800 people were forcibly returned to Libya, where migrants face torture, arbitrary detention, sexual violence and forced labour, the Archive said.
One case highlighted involved 43 people in distress just 32 nautical miles south of Malta in February. After days without response from Maltese authorities, the group was intercepted within Maltese waters and returned to detention in Libya.
The Archive said the trend marks a worsening of practices documented between 2020 and 2024, when Malta rescued only a small fraction of those in distress while Libyan interceptions surged.
International Organisation for Migration data shows more than 1,190 people died or went missing in the Central Mediterranean by the end of 2025, underscoring the human cost of non-assistance.
Malta’s maritime coordination agreement with Libya, renewed in 2024, remains secret, despite government claims that it saves lives.
-Photo IPA Agency-
(ITALPRESS).
