The Italian Ministry of the Interior has implemented the protocol of the agreement reached between Rome and Tirana, starting the preliminary consultation of the market to find a ship with a crew that will serve to disembark at the reception center in Shengjin immigrants departing from Africa and caught in the Mediterranean Sea.
According to the Italian media, it will cost the government of Meloni a "maximum" of up to 13.5 million euros to rent a ship for 90 days together with the contracts that will be related to its crew, in order to guarantee the transportation of immigrants rescued in the Mediterranean Sea towards the port of Shengjin, in Albania.
According to the agreement, the contract will most likely be for three months and the contracted vessel will operate on behalf of the Italian state from September 15 to December 15, 2024.
200 immigrants and 100 operators on board
A "non-binding" requirement can be read in the technical specifications for the service, where the migrant collection point is identified about 15/20 nautical miles south-south/west of the island of Lampedusa. It speaks of a transport of "about 300 units" (200 migrants and 100 operators), and "three to four trips per month (round trip)".
The operation takes 6 days
The sailing time in the Ministry of Interior document is calculated to be about 50 hours, from the pick-up point to the destination for. The duration of each operation can be from 5 to 6 days, including "the transport of emigrants, the activity of the center, the transport to Albania, the landing activities and the return to the operation area".
Conditions for the ship
Among the requirements for the vessel are the capacity to carry approximately 300 passengers, 200 migrants plus 100 operators; a minimum of 50 cabins, each with a maximum of two beds; a draft (the height of the part of the hull that remains submerged) of less than 5 meters, to be suitable for anchoring in the port of Shengjin; a room for examining immigrants; one to be used as a security room for judicial police needs; a room for nursing; and areas for potential quarantine.
"The ship management service will be the responsibility of the operator with all obligations and responsibilities", it is specified in the Italian draft. In addition, the execution of the service includes the supply of goods and food products, as well as the preparation of various foods in connection with religious orders or any health problem. If the average of 300 individuals for the days of the duration of the contract is exceeded, an "additional cost per person of 40 euros/day for the number of excess passengers" will be recognized.
In the last chapter of the document it is stated that if the sailing distance for the duration of the contract will be less than 6,000 nautical miles, the rental cost for the ship will be reduced by 15%.