A ship carrying the first group of migrants to be processed in Albania under a deal with Italy arrived in the port of Shengjin on Wednesday morning, setting in motion the first scheme by a European Union state to divert asylum seekers abroad.

The first 16 migrants rescued at sea while trying to reach Europe by way of Italy arrived at the Albanian port of Shengjin on Wednesday aboard an Italian navy vessel, marking an extraordinary change in the handling of Mediterranean migration.

A ship carrying migrants intercepted in Italian waters docked Wednesday in Albania, nearly a year after Rome and Tirana reached a controversial deal to process asylum seekers trying to reach Europe.The migrants intercepted in Italian waters who are deemed the most vulnerable -- such as women and children -- are due to be taken to Italy.