09/04: Boat carrying 54 people, returned to Turkey

10.04.2018 / 15:34 / Aegean Sea

Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 9th of April 2018

Case name: 2018_04_09-AEG371
Situation: Boat in distress in the Aegean Sea
Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded
Place of Incident: Aegean Sea

Summary of the Case: On the 9th of April 2018, at 6.22am, our Alarm Phone shift team was informed to a distress case in the Aegean Sea by a contact person. We received their GPS position, showing them north of Lesvos, as well as the information that there were 54 people in total, including 11 children on a wooden boat. When we contacted the boat at 6.28am, they responded to us, saying in Arabic that they were in danger. Since they were in Turkish waters, we asked whether we should alert the Turkish coastguards, which they confirmed. At 6.57am, we spoke to the Turkish coastguards and they took on the case. In the meantime, we saw that they were still moving, and we received several new GPS positions, showing them move toward Greek territory. At 8.06am, the Turkish coastguard confirmed that they had launched rescue procedures. At 9.22am, they confirmed that they had rescued the people. Our initial contact person confirmed their safe return to Turkey, and later, the travellers did so as well.

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