A humanitarian aid ship that rescued more than 550 migrants from overloaded and unstable boats in the Mediterranean sea this weekend has called on the European Union to force member states to let it dock. 

French non-governmental organization SOS Mediterranee said the bloc should organize landing and further aid for the "survivors."

"SOS Mediterranee calls on the EU to urgently coordinate for 572 survivors to disembark in a place of safety," the charity added. The ship is carrying an unusually high number of rescued men, women, and children.

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Ocean Viking, chartered by SOS Mediterranee, had already picked up several migrants trying to make it to Europe from Libya when it came across a vessel in trouble with 369 people crammed onboard. 

"Such large unseaworthy wooden boats launched from the coast of Libya had not been encountered by our teams in several years," the charity said in a statement.

Boat crossing attempts increase every summer, with better weather and calmer seas making the crossing appear easier. Still, more than 880 migrants have died trying to reach Europe from North Africa this year, according to the International Organization for Migration.

SOS Mediterranee accused EU governments of neglecting coordinated search-and-rescue action to discourage migrants from attempting the crossing from war-torn Libya, where they are often victims of organized crime and violence.

A United Nations Human Rights Office report in late May urged Libya and the European Union to overhaul their rescue operations, saying existing policies "fail to prioritize the lives, safety, and human rights" of people attempting to cross from Africa.

EU nations such as Italy and Malta have often resisted letting the migrants into their ports, arguing that more efforts are needed in North Africa to evaluate and organize migration requests.

READ MORE: Medecins Sans Frontieres migrant rescue boat seized in Italy

Video editor: Pedro Duarte