02/08: 250 travellers from Libya rescued to Italy

03.08.2016 / 01:19 / Central Mediterranean Sea

Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 2nd of August 2016

Case name: 2016_08_02-CM74
Situation: 250 travellers from Al Khoms, Libya rescued to Italy, via Father Zerai‬
Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded
Place of Incident: Central Mediterranean Sea

Summary of the Case:‪ ‪On Tuesday, the 2nd of August 2016, at 9.05am, father Mussie Zerai alerted us and the Italian Coastguard to a boat in distress carrying about 250 travellers in the Central Mediterranean. Their engine had stopped in the Northwest of Al Khoms and water was entering the boat. We couldn't see any vessels in vicinity, except for one cargo boat. At 11:24am, we checked with the Coastguard, who told us that they had a vessel at about 1 hour from the boat in distress. But they asked us to call the travellers to tell them that rescue was underway. However, we couldn't reach the boat and just sent them a text message. At 2.26pm we checked with the Coastguard again who said that they were about to start the rescue operation. At 5.05pm the Coastguard told us that the rescue operation was still on-going. A Navy vessel carried out the rescue. At 6.50 they confirmed that they had rescued the travellers and would bring them to Italy. ‬‬

Last update: 01:36 Aug 18, 2016

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