27/10: 1 boat arrived safe on Symi and 1 boat rescued near Syrna

28.10.2019 / 08:40 / Aegean sea

Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 27th of October 2019
Case name: 2019_10_27-AEG605
Situation: 34 arrived safely to Symi and 60 travellers rescued by Greek coastguard.
Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded
Place of Incident: Aegean Sea

Summary of the Case: On Sunday the 27th of October the Alarm Phone was alerted to two boats in distress in the Aegean sea. The first boat arrived safely to Symi and the second boat was rescued near Syrna.

At 04.16 am CEST of Sunday the 27th October the Alarm Phone was alerted to a boat in distress carrying 34 travellers. We soon after managed to establish contact with the boat. The people on board told us that water was entering the boat and that the situation was critical. At around 04.35 we received a GPS position from the travellers. They also informed us that they were 34 travellers of which 8 women and 10 children. We immediately passed on the information to the Greek coastguard. At 05.50 am the travellers informed us that they had arrived safely to Symi.

At 05.19am the same morning our shift team was informed about a boat in distress carrying 60 travellers. Although we were not able to establish direct contact with the boat, at 05.35 am we alerted the Greek coastguard who told us that they were already aware of the case and that they were carrying out a rescue operation. We were not able to establish contact with the travellers but at 08.40 am the Greek coastguard confirmed that the rescue was ongoing and that the travellers would be taken to Kos.

Last update: 21:23 Nov 11, 2019

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