21/12: 21 travellers in distress near Alexandroupolis, probably pushed back to Turkey by Greek coast guard

22.12.2019 / 21:59 / Aegean Sea

Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 21st of December 2019

Case name: 2019_12_21-AEG641
Situation: one boat in distress, 21 people incl. 7 children probably pushed back to Turkey by Greek coast guard
Status of WTM Investigation: investigation ongoing
Place of Incident: Aegean Sea

Summary of the Case:

On 21 December at 02:25h CET a relative called the Alarm Phone and alerted us to boat in distress. Onboard were 21 travellers, among them 7 children. Following the GPS position they were around 6nm south of Alexandroupolis in Greek waters. Under the given telephone numbers our shift team were not able to reach the travellers. At 02:56h the relative stated that water is entering the boat. And half an hour later according to him the boat was about to loose air. Our shift team called the Greek coastguard at 03:51h and sent also an email with all available information. Connection to the travellers was only established around 04:25h but the call ended quickly without any conversation. 20 minutes later the Greek coastguard was called again. They informed the Alarm Phone that all people are safe on a boat of their coastguard. The shift teams lacked confirmation by the travellers themselves and stayed in contact to the relative. Two days later the relative informed us that the people had been pushed back to Ederne, Turkey, by the Greek coastguard. Our investigations are ongoing.

Last update: 14:45 Oct 23, 2020

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