Rome (dpa) - About 145 migrants rescued by the German NGO vessel Alan Kurdi were being transferred Friday onto an Italian ferry where they are due to be quarantined.

The unusual procedure comes after the Italian government said last week it could no longer take in rescued migrants on land due to the novel coronavirus epidemic.

The migrants are being tested for the virus and are due to spend two weeks on the Raffaele Rubattino ferry privately operated by the Tirrenia company.

The ferry is positioned around 1 nautical mile off the port of Palermo, the city's mayor Leoluca Orlando said.

Several Italian coastguard boats were helping with the process, the Transport Ministry in Rome said. The Italian Red Cross was overseeing process.

It's unclear where the migrants will end up after quarantine, though distribution to other EU countries is a possibility.

The Alan Kurdi vessel, run by German non-profit Sea-Eye, rescued 150 people on April 6, but four of them had already been evacuated ahead of Friday's transfer for medical reasons.

The Alan Kurdi's crew members will be isolated on their own ship, a Sea-Eye spokesman said.

Both Italy and Malta have shut their ports to migrants citing difficulties posed by the novel coronavirus epidemic, drawing criticism from rights groups.