09/08: Boat carrying 45 people in distress off Libya, rescued by Open Arms

10.08.2019 / 10:03 / Central Mediterranean Sea, Libya

Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 9th of August 2019
Case name: 2019_08_09-CM181
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 Friday the 9th of August 2019, at approximately 21h, the Alarm Phone was called by a wooden boat in distress off the coast of Libya, carrying 45 people, including 1 woman. They were in dire need of rescue. They were later rescued by the NGO Open Arms.

At 21.23h, we informed the Maltese authorities to the distress situation, including the position of the boat. At 21.35h, RCC Malta confirmed that they were looking into the situation. At 21.58h, the people on board tried to give us a new GPS position but were unable to relay it. They said that several people on board were sick. When we received an updated position, we forwarded it to the Maltese authorities at 22.08h.

As the credit of the satellite phone was dropping, we charged their phone so that they could continue to make distress calls. At 22.26h, we forwarded the emails we had sent to the Maltese authorities also to the NGO Open Arms who were not far from the location of distress. At 22.30h, RCC Malta confirmed that they would launch a rescue operation.

At 00.05h, the people on board stated that a helicopter was circling above them. They said several people were very sick and drinking sea water. We believed this helicopter to be the Augusta Westland 139.

At 00.57h, RCC Malta stated that the Open Arms was in the area and about to conduct a rescue operation. Open Arms later confirmed that they had carried out a successful rescue operation.
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