Executive Director of FRONTEX Ilkka Laitinen said the EU sea patrol operation to combat illegal immigration in the central Mediterranean, code named Nautilus has been successful.
Laitinen said two factors helped make Nautilus a success: its short duration and that it took place outside the summer immigration peak time.
Nautilus was conducted between October 3 and 17. Its command centre was in Lampedusa with vessels and aircraft from the five member states monitoring two sea-zones between Italy and Libya on a 24-hour basis. The 15-day mission cost the EU some €1.2 million.
Over the 15 days of the operation, five Member States (Malta, Greece, France, Germany and Italy) joined forces and equipment (5 vessels, 3 planes and 2 helicopters) between Sicily and Libya to prevent illegal immigrants from landing in Italy and on Malta.
No immigrants were able to land on Malta during the entire operation.
Read more about this issue on MaltaMedia's special feature:
Lanċa Ġejja u Oħra Sejra: Malta and its migrations.
See also:
Malta needs "a special solution" - UNHCR chief
by MaltaMedia News - Nov 1, 2006
Frontex border patrols to commence this week
by MaltaMedia News - Oct 3, 2006
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