Italy's anti-immigration Interior Minister Matteo Salvini hailed on Friday the news that the Aquarius migrant rescue boat would no longer operate in the Mediterranean.

In a tweet, Salvini said this would lead to "fewer departures, fewer landings, fewer deaths. That's good."

Salvini, who leads the far-right League party, has banished charity-run migrant rescue ships from Italian ports, seriously limiting their ability to bring migrants ashore.

He justified the move by claiming that rescue ships worked with human smugglers to bring migrants into Europe, a charge that charities have always rejected.

The Aquarius was run jointly by the non-governmental organizations Doctors Without Borders (MSF) and SOS Mediterranee. They announced an end to its operations late Thursday.

The decision was taken in the wake of flag registration and legal problems for the Aquarius, which according to the NGOs reflect growing hostility from European governments to migrant rescue work.