The Spanish migrant aid charity Proactiva Open Arms said the Libyan coast guard had detained one of its vessels for two hours in international waters, local press reported Wednesday.
The vessel, the Golfo Azzurro, dedicated to rescuing migrants, was attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea between North Africa and Europe when it encountered the Libyan coast guard on Tuesday, the charity said.
The incident took place 24 nautical miles (44 km) off the Libyan coast, well outside of the 12-mile (19-km) limit of Libyan territorial waters.
However, the 37-meter-long Golfo Azzuro was in a new 100-mile-long (161-km-long) zone which Libya has been trying to patrol since last week, with an attempt to fight against human trafficking networks.
The zone has to be authorized by the International Maritime Organization and there are doubts over whether or not Libya has the resources to control such a large area.
