Vessel carrying 29 people rescued in Western Med

16.07.2015 / 20:56 / Western Mediterranean Sea, Morocco

Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations 15th of July 2015

Case name: 2015_07_15-WM31
Situation: Vessel in distress between Morocco and Spain
Status of WTM Investigations: Concluded
Place of Incidents: Western Mediterranean Sea

Summary of the Cases On Wednesday the 15th of July 2015 in the afternoon, the Alarm Phone received a call from relatives whose family had left the Moroccan coast in the night. They were concerned and passed on information about the travellers as well as a mobile phone number. About 25 men, 4 women and 1 baby had left Morocco at around 3am. After failing to reach the travellers, our shift team contacted the Spanish rescue agency Salvamento Maritimo in Almeria and was told that they were already searching for a rubber vessel. About an hour and a half later, at 5.30pm, Salvamento Maritimo stated that they had still not found the vessel in distress. Soon afterwards, we were contacted by the Spanish rescue agency: They had found a rubber vessel but were not certain whether it was the vessel in question. Moreover, as they were still located in Moroccan waters, it was not clear whether they would return them to Morocco or disembark them in Spain.

At 8.30pm, we reached out to Salvamento Maritimo once more and they reported that the passengers on the discovered vessel matched the description of the vessel in question. The 29 travellers were already on the rescue vessels and would be brought to Motril in Spain. We called our initial contact persons in Morocco and told them about the good news. They were relieved and thanked us.
Last update: 22:55 Jul 20, 2015
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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