29/10: Three cases: about 50 travelers in distress on three boats, all brought back to Turkey

30.10.2019 / 13:11 / Aegean Sea

Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 29th of October 2019

Case name: 2019_10_29-AEG607
Situation: 30 travelers in Greek waters, eight travelers towards Kos island, very close to Greek border, 14 travelers south of Bodrum, all returned to Turkey by Turkish coastguard
Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded / Unconfirmed
Place of Incident: Aegean Sea

Summary of the Cases:

On 29 October 2019, the Alarm Phone was alerted to three situations of distress:
The first alert came in at 02:11am CET from a boat carrying 30 travelers. Their engine had stopped, and they were trying to row with their hands towards Lesvos. We called the Greek coastguard who stated that the position was in Turkish waters. The travelers were finally brought back to Turkey.
The second alert came in at 05:57am CET from a speedboat on its way towards Kos island, carrying eight travelers. At 7:24CET the Turkish coastguard confirmed their rescue.
The third call reached us at 07:25pm CET from 14 people on a sinking boat south of Bodrum, Turkey. The people had already alerted the Turkish coastguard and their rescue was confirmed at 07:40pm.

Case1:
At 02:11am CET the Alarm Phone was called by a group of about 30 travelers, among them several women, children and babies. Their engine had stopped a couple of hours ago and they had been paddling with their hands since. They sent a GPS location very close to the border in Greek territorial waters and the wind was pushing them toward Lesvos. Then the contact to the people broke off and we could not re-establish it, so at 02:43am we decided to inform the Greek coastguard. When we passed them the GPS location, they stated it was in Turkish waters and urged us to call the Turkish coastguard. From our point of view and according to our map it seemed clear they were in Greek waters. At 02:48am we sent an e-mail to the Greek coastguard with all the information and including the position and then informed as well the Turkish coastguard via phone call and e-mail. At 02:57am the Turkish coastguard called us back and asked us to confirm the GPS location because the one we had passed them was in Greek waters from their point of view and they doubted to be in charge of the rescue. At 03:10am we talked to the Greek coastguard again and told them about this, but they insisted on their point and informed us that at the location two boats in distress had been picked up by the Turkish coastguard. Most probably, the group who had informed us was among them.

Case 2:
At 05:57am CET we were informed about a speedboat carrying 15 travelers on its way towards Kos island, Greece. According to the GPS location, they were at the border to Greek waters and their engine had stopped working. We tried to receive more information about the situation from the people directly, but could not get through to them and at 06:17am we informed the Turkish coastguard via phone call and sent them an e-mail.
We continued trying to reach the travelers but without success, and at 07:24am we called the Turkish coastguard and learned that they had rescued a speed boat at the indicated place, carrying eight people.

Case 3:
At 07:25pm CET a relative of one of the travelers informed us about a sinking boat carrying 12 people. Their GPS location showed them in Turkish waters south of Bodrum. They had already informed the Turkish coastguard by themselves. We tried to contact the travelers but without success and at 07:40pm we called the Turkish coastguard and learned that they had rescued a group of 14 people in that area. We supposed this was the group in question but could not get a direct confirmation of the rescue from the relative or the people themselves.
Last update: 15:11 Oct 23, 2020
Credibility: UP DOWN 0
Layers »
  • Border police patrols
     
    While the exact location of patrols is of course constantly changing, this line indicates the approximate boundary routinely patrolled by border guards’ naval assets. In the open sea, it usually correspond to the outer extent of the contiguous zone, the area in which “State may exercise the control necessary to prevent infringement of its customs, fiscal, immigration or sanitary laws” (UNCLOS, art. 33). Data source: interviews with border police officials.
  • Coastal radars
     
    Approximate radar beam range covered by coastal radars operating in the frame of national marine traffic monitoring systems. The actual beam depends from several different parameters (including the type of object to be detected). Data source: Finmeccanica.
  • Exclusive Economic Zone
     
    Maritime area beyond and adjacent to the territorial sea in which the coastal state exercises sovereign rights for the purposes of exploring and exploiting, conserving and managing the natural resources, whether living or non-living, the seabed and its subsoil and the superjacent waters. Its breadth is 200 nautical miles from the straight baselines from which the territorial sea is measured (UNCLOS, Arts. 55, 56 and 57). Data source: Juan Luis Suárez de Vivero, Atlas of the European Seas and Oceans
  • Frontex operations
     
    Frontex has, in the past few years, carried out several sea operations at the maritime borders of the EU. The blue shapes indicate the approximate extend of these operations. Data source: Migreurop Altas.
  • Mobile phone coverage
     
    Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) network coverage. Data source: Collins Mobile Coverage.
  • Oil and gas platforms
     
    Oil and gas platforms in the Mediterranean. Data source:
  • Search and Rescue Zone
     
    An area of defined dimensions within which a given state is has the responsibility to co-ordinate Search and Rescue operations, i.e. the search for, and provision of aid to, persons, ships or other craft which are, or are feared to be, in distress or imminent danger. Data source: IMO availability of search and rescue (SAR) services - SAR.8/Circ.3, 17 June 2011.
  • Territorial Waters
     
    A belt of sea (usually extending up to 12 nautical miles) upon which the sovereignty of a coastal State extends (UNCLOS, Art. 2). Data source: Juan Luis Suárez de Vivero, Atlas of the European Seas and Oceans

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