ITALY and at least three other countries agreed today to accept asylum-seekers from an aid ship held off Malta for five days, but the vessel’s destination remains unclear.

Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte said after a phone call with Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat that the boat, operated by German aid group Mission Lifeline, would disembark in Malta, where its legal standing would be investigated.

“Italy will do its part to accept a quota of migrants aboard the Lifeline, with the hope that other European countries would also do the same, as some have previously indicated,” said Mr Conte.

However, Mr Muscat did not confirm the assertion that the Lifeline could dock in Malta, stating only that, if his country did allow the boat in, there would be investigations of its activities.

A Maltese government source said a decision on whether to allow the ship to berth would depend on whether other countries accept some of the asylum-seekers.

The Lifeline has been blocked in the Mediterranean Sea since last week, when both Italy and Malta refused to grant it access to their ports.

Indicating the confusion surrounding the boat's direction, Lifeline tweeted that it had received hardly any direct messages  and was awaiting word about which EU countries would welcome its passengers.

The impasse recalls another earlier this month over the Aquarius, a rescue ship operated by French aid groups.

The ship carrying 630 migrants had its journey to land extended by a week after Malta and Italy refused it docking rights. Spain ultimately agreed to accept the passengers and the Aquarius travelled an additional 900 miles to get there.

One passenger was evacuated yesterday due to a medical emergency and Lifeline tweeted today that “conditions are worsening by [the day] for the people on board.”

New far-right Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini has made clear he doesn’t want rescue ships run by non-governmental agencies to ferry migrants to Italy anymore.

He is pressing his European peers to take on more of the burden of refugee numbers when they meet at a summit on Thursday.