Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigation – 23rd of June 2015

Case name: 2015_06_23-CM28
Situation: Vessel in distress in the Central Med, rescued
Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded
Place of Incident: Central Mediterranean Sea, Libya

Summary of the Case: On Tuesday the 23rd of June 2015, the Alarm Phone received a message from Father Mussie Zerai concerning a vessel in distress in the Central Mediterranean Sea. Despite several brief exchanges between the passengers and our shift team at about 7:45am, no further information about their location and well-being could be obtained. We reached out to the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) in Rome who confirmed knowledge of the vessel which carried approximately 100 people. They stated that they had also communicative difficulties when trying to speak to the passengers.

For about two hours, the vessel could not be reached. Then, at 9:55am, we were able to get through to them but the call got disrupted before they could pass on their GPS position. We obtained their coordinates, finally, at 10:08am and passed them on to MRCC Rome. They took note of the coordinates without informing us whether or not a rescue operation was to be launched. About 40 minutes later, the people in distress confirmed their location with us once again. Then, despite several attempts, the passengers could not be reached for two hours. Our shift team contacted the civilian search and rescue vessel Sea Watch that was positioned in the Central Mediterranean Sea to conduct rescue operations.

At 11:43am, MRCC Rome confirmed that they had localised the vessel and directed Italian coastguard vessels to them, estimating that they should reach them about 4 hours later. One of our Alarm Phone members in command of the language spoken on the vessel, reached the passengers but could also not receive any further information.

At 12:20h, the Sea Watch announced that it would direct itself to the vessel in distress. After, once again, several phone calls, the passengers were able to pass on their latest coordinates to our shift team. MRCC Rome then confirmed that they had also established direct contact to the passengers.

At 3.15pm, the Sea Watch reached out to us and confirmed that MRCC Rome had informed them that the vessel in question had been rescued. Later on, MRCC Rome stated that they had coordinated 6 rescue operations in the Central Mediterranean Sea on that day in which more than 1000 people were rescued.