THE co-founder of Sea Watch says that the captain of the ship that carries out the rescue charity’s work in the Mediterranean has done nothing wrong.

Captain Carola Rackete was arrested by Italian police on Saturday after putting 40 migrants rescued off the coast of Libya on June 12 ashore on the Italian island of Lampedusa.

She is now being held under house arrest for defying a law created specifically to stop her from disembarking rescued refugees.

For the 17 days in which Europe denied the Sea Watch 3 a port, Capt Rackete kept the ship in international waters off the coast of the Italian island.

Meanwhile in Italy, the closest safe country to the rescue, far-right Interior Minister Matteo Salvini drew up a new law that seeks to fine non-governmental organisations up to €50,000 (£44,805) for bringing migrants to the country without its permission.

Fearing for the refugees’ wellbeing, Capt Rackete decided to enter Italian waters on June 28 in a state of necessity.

“There was nothing left for us to do but to take action for ourselves,” Sea Watch co-founder Ruben Neugebauer told the Star today.

“She has done nothing wrong. She followed the law of the sea.”

Approaching the dock at Lampedusa, the Sea Watch 3 hit a small police motorboat that was attempting to block the rescuers’ way. Italian prosecutors say the collision was intentional and that Capt Rackete was “resisting a warship,” an offence which carries up to 10 years in prision.

Mr Neugebauer said the allegation was an exaggeration. “[The Sea Watch 3] was in a state of necessity, so the Italian government was obliged to let the ship dock. But it unlawfully hindered the ship from mooring for over 60 hours. And then, finally, the ship announced it would go into port, which was the correct thing to do.

“During the manoeuvre the little police boat, which was much more manoeuvrable than the big Sea Watch 3, put itself deliberately between the ship and the mooring.

“Carola performed all the manoeuvres dead slow so she could react. So when she saw the boat, she stopped and there was this small touching of the ‘warship’.”

The Sea Watch 3 is now confiscated, but Mr Neugebauer is determined that the ship continue its humanitarian mission.

“Already, in the first three days since it was confiscated, we have learned about three shipwrecks.

“There’s a lack of rescue capacity at sea and that means more people will die. We will not stop fighting for human rights in the Mediterranean, that’s for sure.”

Capt Rackete is now awaiting a judge’s decision on whether to keep her under house arrest.