VALLETTA - The first group of migrants who arrived in Malta on the MV Lifeline have left the island for France, Malta's Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said on Thursday.

The Lifeline was at the centre of an international controversy in the last few weeks after both Malta and Italy refused to allow it to dock.

The stalemate was eventually broken after eight European countries and Malta entered into an ad hoc agreement, promising to take a share of the migrants on board. The ship then docked in Malta last week.

In a tweet published earlier on Thursday, Muscat said that the first group of persons from the migrants ship had left as part of the agreement.

"Responsibility sharing and returns are possible and can be done in a humane and effective manner," Muscat said.

The Lifeline's captain, Claus-Peter Reisch, appeared in court on Monday after police claimed the ship was registered incorrectly as a yacht and not a rescue vessel.

He was released on bail. The case was set to continue on Thursday.