An Italian ship carrying a first group of migrants to be processed in Albania arrived in the port of Shengjin on Wednesday morning, setting in motion a controversial plan to process thousands of asylum seekers abroad.

The USS Nantucket, built on the Great Lakes, is on its way to Boston to be christened and then Florida where it will be based.

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.

An Italian navy ship docked in Albania on Wednesday morning, media reports said, carrying the first group of migrants whose asylum requests are to be processed at new reception centres outside the European Union.

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.

SHENGJIN, OCT 16 - The Italian navy's ship Libra with the first 16 migrants to be processed in new Italian-run centres Albania arrived in the port of Shengjin early on Wednesday, ANSA sources said. The migrants,