13/11 Alarm Phone alerted to 2 emergency situations in the Aegean Sea, near Samos and Chios

Verified

  In Distress

14.11.2015 / 08:31 / Aegean Sea, Samos and Chios

Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 13th of November 2015

Case name: 2015_11_13-AEG128
Situation: Alarm Phone alerted to 2 distress cases in the Aegean Sea
Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded
Place of Incident: Aegean Sea

Summary of the Cases: On Friday the 13th of November 2015, the Alarm Phone was alerted to 2 emergency situations in the Aegean Sea. In addition, we were informed about several other situations in which we either could not obtain required information in order to act or that did not need further assistance from our side.

At 3.07am, a contact person told us via WhatsApp about a vessel in distress off the Turkish coast (case 1). We were able to reach the travellers directly at 3.27am but it was difficult to communicate due to fact that many people were shouting. We then informed the Turkish coastguards who confirmed that they knew of this case and were launching a rescue mission. Shortly afterwards our initial contact person confirmed their rescue. This was also confirmed by the Turkish coastguards later on.

At 5.50am we received a call from a vessel carrying about 25 people, close to Samos Island/Greece (case 2). They passed on a WhatsApp number and were able to send us their GPS coordinates at 6.16am. The Samos Port Authority confirmed at 6.30am that they would search for the vessel. At 6.48am we received another message from the travellers via WhatsApp: they said that they could see a beach already and would try to reach the island independently. About an hour later they confirmed that they had reached the island.
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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