Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigation – 21st of June 2015

Case name: 2015_06_21-CM26
Situation: 2 vessels in distress in Libyan waters, rescued
Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded
Place of Incident: Central Mediterranean Sea, Libya

Summary of the Case: On Sunday the 21st of June 2015, in the morning, a member of the Alarm Phone received emergency calls from travellers in distress in the Central Mediterranean Sea (vessel 1). In an initial direct exchange with them it emerged that there were about 150 passengers on a vessel which had stopped moving in Libyan waters, presumably due to a broken engine. They had also already reached out to the Italian Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) in Rome. Our shift team passed on the received information, including the coordinates of vessel 1, to the MRCC as well as to Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and the civilian rescue vessel Sea Watch. MRCC Rome confirmed that they were searching for a vessel in vicinity that could conduct a rescue operation.

At about 10am, Father Mussie Zerai forwarded details of another emergency situation in the Central Mediterranean Sea, off the coast of Libya (vessel 2). A vessel carrying approximately 250 people, including 50 women and 10 children needed urgent assistance. After several attempts, contact to vessel 2 could be established at about 10:30am and we agreed on another call half an hour later to verify their position and the condition of their vessel. About twenty minutes later, the passengers of vessel 2 contacted our shift team again, stating that they could see a helicopter. We advised them to stay very calm and, if possible, wave with coloured clothes. In another phone call shortly afterwards, we advised the travellers to stay seated if a rescue vessel approached them. Then for some time, vessel 2 cannot be reached anymore.

At 11:20am, the passengers of vessel 1 contacted our shift team again, stating that they could see an orange vessel. The crew of the Sea Watch confirmed that MRCC Rome had directed a rescue vessel to vessel 1. In a phone conversation with MRCC Rome, the duty officer suggested that there were two rubber boats in the area. However, when the passengers called the Alarm Phone once again, they stated that they could not see a vessel nearby. Afterwards, communication with the passengers could not be re-established.

We then received another message from Father Zerai who passed on information about vessel 2. The helicopter had left and people on board started to panic. When informing MRCC Rome we were told that they had 8 ongoing cases of distress and not sufficient capacities to send a rescue vessel to vessel 2. At about 2pm, the passengers called us again and, clearly in panic. When reaching out to MRCC Rome once again at 3pm, they confirmed that the merchant vessel ‘Master Nicos’ was instructed to divert its course so that it should reach vessel 2 about one hour later. Contact to vessel 2 could not be established afterwards.

At about 3pm, MRCC Rome confirmed that two rubber vessels were rescued by the vessel ‘Torm Arawa’ and it seems likely that vessel 1 was amongst them. Despite several attempts to contact the passengers of vessel 1 in the following hours, they could not be reached.

Also vessel 2 could also not be contacted anymore. At about 4pm, MRCC Rome confirmed its rescue by an Italian war ship and not the vessel ‘Master Nicos’.