An Italian naval vessel arrived at the Albanian port of Shengjin on Friday, carrying eight migrants who had been intercepted in international waters. This transfer comes a month after another group was denied entry due to not meeting the vetting requirements.

This marks only the second time migrants have been transferred since two processing centers were established in October. The Italian navy ship had previously brought 16 migrants from Bangladesh and Egypt to Albania. While four of those were promptly sent to Italy due to being minors or having health complications, the remaining twelve were returned to Italy shortly after, as judges in Rome ruled that deportations were not feasible due to safety concerns in their home countries.

The naval ship, known as Libra and capable of accommodating 200 individuals alongside its crew, set sail from Italy’s southernmost island, Lampedusa. Onboard were eight adult males. Officials from the Italian Interior Ministry, including spokesperson Francesco Kamel, confirmed the ship’s route to Albania but refrained from disclosing additional details until the process concluded, including its arrival timing or the number of passengers.

Reports from Italian news outlets revealed that among 1,200 recent migrants who arrived on Lampedusa within a two-day period, only eight adult men traveling alone fulfilled Albania’s qualifications for screening, predominantly stemming from nations recognized as “safe” for repatriation purposes.

Following a significant drop in migrant arrivals along the central Mediterranean route, with numbers decreasing by 60% in early 2024 compared to the previous year, a total of 57,767 migrants had reached Italy by sea as of November 7, according to statistics from the Interior Ministry.

A recent court decision in Rome had reduced the list of countries that are deemed “safe” for repatriation. This modification allows for a rapid procedure to deport migrants from those nations who did not obtain asylum. Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni criticized this judicial ruling, stating that labeling countries like Bangladesh and Egypt as unsafe would effectively exclude most migrants from the Albania program, jeopardizing its viability.

In response, on October 21, Meloni’s far-right government enacted a new decree intended to tackle the legal challenges that could potentially disrupt a contentious five-year migration agreement with Albania that was established in 2023 with her counterpart, Edi Rama.

This agreement stipulates that Albania will host up to 3,000 migrants intercepted by Italy’s coast guard in international waters each month, who will then be screened for asylum eligibility for Italy or be sent back to their home countries. Italy has committed to accepting those migrants who receive asylum, while those whose applications are denied could be deported directly from Albania.

Meloni supports the outsourcing of housing for asylum-seekers to a non-EU nation as a novel approach to manage illegal migration, a stance that has been well received by other countries similarly grappling with large numbers of migrant arrivals.

During a visit to Albania in October, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen opted not to comment on the agreement but noted that it was under close scrutiny.

However, human rights organizations and NGOs engaged in Mediterranean issues have condemned the agreement as a troubling precedent that contravenes international laws.