The "Alan Kurdi" vessel operated by Sea-Eye rescued 44 migrants on Monday in the Mediterranean Sea near Libya.

Sea-Eye wrote on Twitter that the Maltese navy had aided the rescue attempt: "The Alan Kurdi has rescued 44 persons from a wooden boat in cooperation with Maltese authorities."

Read more: UN warns Italy against criminalizing sea rescue

The German rescue mission added: "A ship of the Maltese Navy is now on its way to take the people from the Alan Kurdi and bring them to Land."

The Maltese authorities, however, have not confirmed their participation.

On Sunday, Malta agreed to take 65 migrants who had been saved by the Alan Kurdi after Italy refused to grant the ship entry to its ports.

Italy's refusal to take in any migrants rescued by charities operating in the Mediterranean have strained relations between Rome and other EU countries

Last month, Carola Rackete, the German captain of the ship Sea-Watch 3, transported 40 migrants to the island of Lampedusa, breaching Italian orders not to enter the port.

She is still under investigation in Italy, despite being released from house arrest last week. Italian judge Alessandra Vella ruled that the 31-year-old had not acted against the law when she refused to comply with a ban on entering Italy's territorial waters.

jsi/amp (dpa, AFP)

Each evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.