Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 9th-14th of June 2015

Case names: 2015_06_09-WM16, 2015_06_10-WM17, 2015_06_11-WM18, 2015_06_13-WM19, 2015_06_14-WM20
Situation: Distress situations in the Western Mediterranean Sea, 7 vessels intercepted by the Moroccan Navy
Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded
Place of Incident: Western Mediterranean Sea, near Morocco

Summary of the Cases: In the week of the 8th to the 14th of June 2015, the shift teams of the Alarm Phone received several distress calls from the Western Mediterranean Sea. Many groups of travellers had embarked on the dangerous journey from Northern Moroccan shores to Southern Spain. On small rubber vessels, these groups of approximately 10-12 people, often including women and children, found themselves in situations of distress and reached out to the Alarm Phone, either directly or through friends in Morocco who were concerned about their well-being. We alerted the Spanish rescue agency Salvamento Maritimo to these cases and were hoping that the travellers would safely reach Spain, their desired destination. However, in all of these cases, totalling 7 vessels within 6 days, the Moroccan Navy intercepted the travellers and sent them back to Morocco. We now hope they are well and wish them the strength to overcome the sea in their next attempt.

Case 2015_06_09-WM16: On Tuesday the 9th of June 2015, the Alarm Phone shift team received a distress call at 7:45am from a vessel (vessel 1) in the Western Mediterranean Sea that had left Cap Spartel/Morocco at around 4am on the day, carrying 11 people, including 2 women and their children. We immediately reached out to the Spanish rescue agency Salvamento Maritimo and alerted them to the case. At 7:55am, our shift team learned from a contact person in Morocco that another vessel was in distress in the Western Mediterranean Sea (vessel 2). The contact person told us later that the passengers had themselves already alerted Salvamento Maritimo so that they did not need any further support from our side. In the meantime, vessel 1 could not be reached. At about 8:55am, we received another distress call from the Western Mediterranean Sea (vessel 3). While the initial contact broke down, we were able to speak to the passengers at 9:10am when they told us that they had just been intercepted by the Moroccan Navy. At 9:40am Salvamento Maritimo confirmed the rescue of 11 men on a vessel close to Tarifa. However, as it turned out, this was not vessel 1. About an hour later, Salvamento Maritimo reported that 7 vessels had been intercepted by the Moroccan Navy today and later on, in an email, they confirmed that vessel 1 was not rescued by them. At about 2:50pm, in a phone conversation with the Moroccan coastguards, they confirmed the rescue of 98 people on the day. While they could not fully confirm the rescue of vessel 1, it seemed likely to be one of the many vessels that had been intercepted by the Moroccan Navy.

Case 2015_06_10-WM17: On Wednesday the 10th of June, at around 7am, the shift team of the Alarm Phone received an emergency call from the Western Mediterranean Sea. 11 people had left from Cap Spartel/Morocco at approximately 3am and required assistance. They asked our shift team to inform the Spanish rescue agency Salvamento Maritimo which we immediately did. After passing on the received information, Salvamento Maritimo confirmed that they knew already of this particular vessel. In repeated phone calls, the passengers reported of water entering their vessel and that they were able to see a vessel in the distance which, however, did not seem to be the rescue vessel of Salvamento Maritimo. In a phone call at approximately 9:45am, the passengers stated that the Moroccan Navy had intercepted them and were in the process of returning them to Morocco.

Case 2015_06_11-WM18: On Thursday the 11th of June 2015, the Alarm Phone shift team was contacted in the early afternoon from mainland Morocco. Our contact person reported that his friends had left the Moroccan coast near Tanger early in the morning on a small vessel, carrying 10 men, including 2 or 3 minors. He had lost contact to them about 30 minutes earlier and was worried about their well-being. Despite several attempts, our shift was not able to contact the passengers and then turned to the Spanish rescue agency Salvamento Maritimo to inform them about the emergency situation. Salvamento Maritimo stated that they had already rescued a vessel with 6 people on board but had no knowledge of the vessel in question. For several hours after that, contact to the passengers as well as our contact person could not be established. At about 4.15pm, Salvamento Maritimo in Tarifa informed us that the vessel had been intercepted by the Moroccan authorities MRSC Tanger.

Case 2015_06_13-WM19: On Saturday the 13th of June 2015, at approximately 6.20am, our Alarm Phone shift team was called by a contact person on mainland Morocco who stated that a plastic vessel without engine had left from the Moroccan beach Malabata in the early morning, carrying about 12 persons, including one woman. He asked us to inform the Spanish rescue agency Salvamento Maritimo and passed on one of the passenger’s phone number. Salvamento Maritimo confirmed that a rescue operation would be launched and stated that they had received another distress from the same area. At 6.38am, our shift team called our contact person once again and passed on the information received from Salvamento Maritimo. However, only about 10 minutes later, the contact person informed us that the vessel had already been intercepted by the Moroccan Navy. We then passed these information on to Salvamento Maritimo.

Case 2015_06_14-WM20: On Sunday the 14th of June, at around 1.45pm, our shift team was called directly from a vessel in distress in the Western Mediterranean Sea. The connection to the passengers was repeatedly interrupted, making communication difficult, but some information could be gathered. The vessel had left Cap Spartel/Morocco at approximately 4am, carrying 12 persons, amongst them 2 women and 1 baby. However, only a few minutes later, our contact person told us that they had already been intercepted by the Moroccan Navy.