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Over the weekend, the Italian government stopped 250 people from disembarking two migrant rescue ships. Only children and people with medical issues were allowed to leave. Two other migrant rescue ships have not been allowed to dock and are currently stranded in rough waters. One of those ships is the Ocean Viking, run by the NGO SOS Mediterranée, which sails under the Norwegian flag. Its communications officer Morgane Lescot, spoke to Newshour and explained the current situation. "We are currently in a standoff position in international waters off Sicily, with 234 women, children and men on board," she says. "Some of them have spent up to three days at sea with no water, no food." "We've made 30 requests for a place of safety, and no positive answer has been given from maritime authorities for now," she adds. "We operate in accordance with international maritime law and expect that states do the same." The Italian government however maintains that the states under whose flag the charity ships sail under should bear responsibility for the migrants. (Photo: Migrants on board NGO rescue ship Ocean Viking look out to sea. Credit: Camille Martin Juan/Sos Mediterranee/Reuters)