Italy will allow an NGO ship carrying 179 migrants rescued in the Mediterranean to dock so medics can conduct health checks, the country’s foreign minister said on Friday.

Antonio Tajani said that the German NGO SOS Humanity’s ship Humanity 1 will sail to Catania, Sicily and “will be able to stay in our territorial waters for as long as we need to investigate any emergencies on board”.

“We will take in all these people, for example because they are underage or because, according to media reports, they are pregnant or have small children or have a fever,” he said at a press conference in Rome.

But he warned that “anyone who does not meet these criteria must be removed by ship from our territorial waters”.

More than 1,000 migrants are currently aboard lifeboats trying to reach Europe, and Italy is facing mounting pressure to allow humanitarian ships to dock.

Germany asked Italy in a diplomatic note on Thursday for quick help.

The group SOS Mediterranee said it has urged the governments of France, Greece and Spain to help find a port for 234 people it rescued trying to reach Europe after Italy and Malta failed to respond .

So far, the NGO says it has submitted 20 docking applications without success.

However, France on Friday said it was ready to take some women and children on board the NGO’s Ocean Viking ship.

SOS Mediterranee Director Sophie Beau welcomed the announcement but warned that “every additional day of waiting could have serious consequences”.