A charity boat carrying 41 rescued migrants has docked in an Italian port despite a ban on it doing so.

The captain of the Alex decided to leave international waters for Lampedusa’s port because of the “intolerable hygienic conditions”.

Matteo Salvini, Italy’s interior minister, had vowed to block them.

Last year, he closed Italian ports to rescue ships and Italy has introduced fines for anyone sailing into its waters without permission.

The migrants on board the Alex, run by the Mediterranea charity, have not yet disembarked in Lampedusa.

Images from the port showed a heavy police presence waiting on the pier next to the ship.

Meanwhile, another NGO ship, the Alan Kurdi – operated by German charity Sea-Eye – is afloat in international waters just outside Lampedusa, carrying another 65 people.

It comes a week after a different ship, the Sea-Watch 3, forced a landing on Lampedusa after being stranded at sea for two weeks. Its captain, Carola Rackete, was arrested and accused of endangering the lives of police and trying to sink their boat.

A judge ordered her freed, though she still faces separate charges of aiding people smugglers and resisting authorities.

When the Alex announced its intention to land at Lampedusa on Saturday, Mr Salvini took to Twitter to declare law enforcement agencies “ready to intervene”.

In an apparent reference to the court order which freed Ms Rackete, he added: “In a serious country, arrests and seizure… would be immediate: what will the judges do this time?”

Italy has been one of the main destinations for migrants attempting to reach Europe via the North Africa route, mostly from Libya. People smugglers often load inflatable dinghies and other craft unsuited to the journey with dozens of people, many of which end up adrift and in need of rescue.

Mr Salvini insists that such boats be intercepted by the Libyan coast guard, which has received EU funding to boost its capabilities.

Last month, new laws passed by his government by emergency decree created fines of up to €50,000 (£45,000; $56,000) for vessels that sail to Italian ports without permission.

When the Alan Kurdi announced it was following the Alex to Lampedusa despite the risk, it tweeted: “We are not intimidated by a Minister of Interior but instead head towards the nearest port of safety.”

“The law of the sea applies, even when some government representatives refuse to believe that.”

Many rescue ships and organisations do not consider Libya a place of safety under applicable international law.

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