Malta Allows Migrants to Disembark From Rescue Vessels, Sparking Italy Clash

Migrants who were stranded on the NGO migrant rescue ships Sea-Watch 3 and Professor Albrecht Penck disembark from an Armed Forces of Malta patrol boat at its base in Marsamxett Harbour, Valletta, Malta, on Jan. 9, 2019. Reuters/Darrin Zammit Lupi

VALLETTA, Malta—Forty-nine migrants disembarked in Malta on Jan. 9 after spending more than two weeks stranded aboard rescue ships, ending a standoff in which European Union countries had refused to offer them a safe port.

The agreement that ended the stalemate was brokered by the European Commission, and it calls for a total of some 300 migrants who have reached Malta in recent weeks to be redistributed between eight EU countries, including Italy.