13/12: Alarm Phone in contact with two boats close to Lesvos, both arrived safely

14.12.2015 / 19:25 / Aegean Sea

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

Case name: 2015_12_13-AEG156
Situation: Alarm Phone in contact with two boats close to Lesvos, both arrived safely on the Greek island
Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded
Place of Incident: Aegean Sea

Summary of the Cases: On Sunday the 13th of December 2015 the Alarm Phone was alerted to 2 boats on their way to the Greek islands of Lesvos. We alerted the Greek coastguard about both cases, but finally both of them reached Lesvos independently.

At 0.40am the Alarm Phone received the GPS coordinates of a boat in distress with 50 people on board, close to the south-eastern coast of the Greek island of Lesvos (case 1). Although we did not have more information, we alerted the Greek coastguard in Piraeus, who took the coordinates and promised to take care of the boat. At 7.40am we tried to reach our contact person, but without success. At 8am, in another call with the Greek coastguard, we were told that the boat had reached the island. Finally, at 11am, our contact person confirmed as well, that the group had safely arrived on Lesovs.

Several contact forwarded the coordinates and phone number of another boat east of Lesvos to us at about 10.20am (case 2). We reached the travellers at 10.35am and they told us that they had problems with their boat’s engine. We decided to alert the Greek Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Piraeus because they were already in Greek territorial waters. They took the coordinates at 10.40am and assured us to search for the boat. At 10.45am we informed the travellers on board that we have alerted the coastguard and that they are supposed to be rescued. 45 minutes afterwards we received an updated position of the boat and learned from one of the contact person that the group had not been rescued yet. Thus we sent an additional e-mail to the Greek coastguard at 11.30am, forwarding the boat’s latest position. At 12.48am we talked again to the coastguard in Piraeus, asking for updates. They were not able to confirm the rescue of this particular boat but stated that they had saved about 1000 people on this morning. Thus we also called the local coastguard on Lesvos at 12.52am. They told us that they were still very busy and asked to call back later. At 1pm we asked the contact persons about any updates. But they had also lost contact to the travellers. One hour later, at 2pm, we again called the local coastguard in Mytilene on Lesvos. They told us again that they took care of many boat and that there was no open or critical case in this moment. Although we could not obtain confirmation for a rescue of the boat in question, we realized that the coastguard was too busy to give us more precise information. At 2.50pm we called an activist on Lesvos, who was at the coast in question the whole morning. We learned that the sea was very calm and that many boat had arrived so far. Beyond that, he told us that the Greek coastguard was present, too, and had assisted all boats who had problems. Finally, at 4.30pm, one of our contact persons informed us that the group had also safely arrived on Lesvos. He thanked us for our cooperation in this case.
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