04/02: 70 travellers in distress in the Central Mediterranean rescued

05.02.2017 / 17:04 / Central Mediterranean Sea

Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 4th of February 2017

Case name: 2017_02_04-CM100
Situation: 70 travellers in distress north of Sabratha, rescued by the Italian coast guard
Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded
Place of Incident: Central Mediterranean Sea

Summary of the Cases: On Saturday, the 4th of February 2017 at 9.39am,Father Mussi Zerai forwarded us the Thuraya number of a boat in distress. At 10.17am we alerted the Italian coast guard to this case, and they informed us that they were already aware of the boat. When we afterwards reached the travellers we learned that they were 105 people, including one pregnant woman and small children, heading towards Malta. At 11.20am we informed the Maltese coast guard about the boat in distress. By monitoring the credit of the Thuraya phone we could see that the travellers were in contact with others, and our shift team could recharge their phone so that they were able to continue making calls. We were in contact with the travellers several times, and could hear that the travellers were getting desperate as rescue was taking a long time to reach them.
At 3.52pm we spoke to the Italian coast guard again, and they informed us that the rescue operation was ongoing. When we called them back at 5.07pm, they could confirm that the rescue had been carried out. Later we learned that a total 600 travellers were rescued on the 4th of February in nine different rescue operations.

Last update: 14:13 Mar 24, 2017

Credibility:

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