THE civil fleet has condemned Italy’s decision to increase fines on NGOs that bring rescued non-Europeans from the Mediterranean to the country up to €1 million (£917,000).

The Italian Senate voted 160 to 57 in favour of passing far-right Interior Minister Matteo Salvini’s security bill on Monday night.

All that is left for the Bill to become law is for President Sergio Mattarella to ratify it. 

The new law will put civil fleet captains behind bars, confiscate their ships and fine their owners between €150,000 (£138,000) and €1m. 

The alt-right poster boy Salvini first introduced the Bill as a security decree in June while he was desperately trying to keep German charity Sea Watch from landing 40 refugees it has rescued off the coast of war-torn Libya in Italy.

Sea Watch spokeswoman Haidi Sadik told the Star today that the decree was a very dangerous development.  

“This decree is an abuse of power and creates a state-led culture of defiance of international maritime laws and conventions that protect human life at sea,” Ms Sadik said. 

“Alongside the EU’s practise of externalising its borders and transferring responsibility to the so-called Libyan Coastguard, this is yet another costly strategy aimed at keeping refugees out and hindering legitimate and lawful rescue operations in the Mediterranean Sea.”

Sea Watch’s vessel the Sea Watch 3, which eventually brought the migrants to Italy after a 17-day  standoff, is still under “probationary confiscation” in Sicily. 

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) restarted its migrant rescue missions in the Mediterranean with French NGO SOS Mediterranee and its ship Ocean Viking on Sunday.

The NGO’s previous ship, the Aquarius, rescued over 30,000 people over 18 months but was forced to stop after continuous attempts by Italy, the EU and other European states to sabotage and discredit its rescue operations.

“By implementing this decree, the Italian government has put into action laws that go against international and maritime law,” an MSF spokesperson told the Star. 

“Saving lives at sea is not a crime, but a legal obligation that states should have as a priority. 

“Confiscating a search-and-rescue vessel and fining its captain or ship owner is like striking an ambulance bringing patients to the hospital. 

“Fining NGOs €1m for saving the lives of vulnerable people fleeing Libya would be a new disgrace to the government of Italy and a reflection of the vindictive European migration policies that have caused deaths at sea and unnecessary suffering in conflict ridden Libya.”

A spokesperson for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Charlie Yaxley said the fines “could deter or impede sea-rescue activities by private vessels at a time when European states have largely withdrawn from rescue efforts in the central Mediterranean.

“NGOs play an invaluable role in saving the lives of refugees and migrants attempting the dangerous sea crossing to Europe. The commitment and humanity that motivates their activities should not be criminalised or stigmatised.

“Likewise, NGO and commercial vessels must not be requested to transfer rescued people to the Libyan Coastguard, or directed to disembark them in Libya.

“The extremely volatile security situation, ongoing conflict, widespread reports of human rights violations and routine use of arbitrary detention for people disembarked back to Libya underline the fact that it is not a viable place of safety.”