One of the eight migrants brought for processing in an Albanian center after being intercepted in international waters has returned to Italy after being deemed “vulnerable.”

The agreement between Italy and Albania allows up to 3,000 migrants intercepted by the Italian coast guard in international waters each month to be sheltered in Albania, and vetted for possible asylum in Italy or be sent back to their countries.

The ship, expected to arrive at the port of Shengjin on Thursday morning, left Lampedusa with only eight asylum seekers after judges in Catania and Rome rejected the Meloni government's decree on 'safe countries' last Monday.

An Italian navy ship has arrived at the Albanian port of Shengjin with eight migrants who will be processed there after they were intercepted in international waters.

An Italian navy ship docked in Albania to manage migrant processing abroad after legal challenges. Italy has set up reception centers in Albania, marking the first EU effort to shift migrants to a non-EU nation.

An Italian navy ship has arrived at the Albanian port of Shengjin with eight migrants who will be processed there after they were intercepted in international waters

An Italian navy ship docked Friday at the Albanian port of Shengjin with eight migrants who will be processed there after they were intercepted in international waters, nearly a month after another group was turned away for failing the vetting process.

An Italian Navy ship brought a second group of migrants from Egypt and Bangladesh picked up in the Mediterranean to its offshore asylum processing centre in Albania on Friday, despite a court challenge hanging over the new Italian scheme.