Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 4th of July 2019
Case name: 2019_07_04-CM172
Situation: Boat in distress in the central Mediterranean Sea
Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded
Place of Incident: Central Mediterranean Sea

Summary of the Case: On Thursday the 4th of July 2019, the Alarm Phone was called by a rubber boat in distress at 15.57h CEST. The people said they had left from Zawiya in Libya the evening before and were about 55 people in total, including 11 women and 4 children. At 16.07h, we informed the so-called Libyan coastguards and NGOs in the vicinity.

At 16.09h, the people in distress informed us that the boat was taking in water. At 16.29h, the NGO Mediterranea informed us as well as Italian and Libyan authorities that they would assess the situation of the boat in distress as they were in the vicinity of the boat. In response, at 16.54h, the Italian MRCC stated that the Libyan authorities would take charge of this distress situation and that MRCC Rome would not be in charge for this SAR event. At 16.55h, we informed the people in distress that authorities and a NGO were informed.

Mediterranea’s vessel Alex, first at the scene of distress and with no Libyan vessels in the vicinity, spotted the boat and conducted a successful SAR operation for 54 people, including 11 women (3 of whom were pregnant) and 4 children.

Alarm Phone tweeted about this rescue operation: “The 54 people in distress were rescued by the #ALEX rescue vessel by #Mediterranea. A Libyan patrol boat arrived later, first intimated ALEX to stop, then left the scene. Congratulations on this successful #SAR operation - now they need disembarkment in a safe port! #safepassage”

Mediterranea’s Alex then brought the people to a port in Lampedusa.