21/10 Alarm Phone alerted to two vessels in distress in the Central Med, rescued

22.10.2016 / 05:17 / Central Mediterranean Sea, Libya

Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 21st of October 2016

Case name: 2016_21_10-CM88
Situation: Alarm Phone alerted to two boats in distress in the Central Med
Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded
Place of Incident: Central Mediterranean Sea

Summary of the Case: On Friday the 21st of October 2016, the WatchTheMed Alarm Phone was alerted by a contact person to a case of distress in the Central Mediterranean Sea.

At 3.29am, our Alarm Phone shift team was contacted by a person situated in Libya who stated that friends of his had left with two boats from Sabratha/Libya. Following his estimates, there were between 120-140 people on the boats which had left between approximately 1-2am. He did not have a phone number of the travellers and asked us to pass on any information we might receive about the two boats. In the following hours we tried to re-establish connection with the contact person but it was not possible.

At 7.45am we reached out to the humanitarian rescue vessel Sea-Watch, which was roaming the waters off the coast of Libya. The Sea-Watch crew stated that they had no information about the two vessels and suggested that all vessels coming from Sabratha would come their way. They also informed us that they had already encountered two other vessels and had disembarked the travellers onto their rescue vessel, thereby reaching their rescue capacity. Moreover, without a GPS position they said they would be unable to search for the initial two boats. They would transfer the rescued travellers to a cargo vessel and at the same time keep watch for other vessels in the area.

At 2.03pm we learned that while the Sea-Watch crew was conducting a Search and Rescue operation, they were interrupted by the Libyan coastguards who then attacked the refugee boat. Later we heard that about 150 travellers had fallen into the water and dozens drowned.

Only at 2.11pm we were able to speak to our initial contact person again. He had not heard anything from his friends but would inform us if he received any news.

Later on we learned that about 3,300 travellers were rescued in the Central Mediterranean Sea during the day, in 24 rescue operations coordinated by MRCC Rome.

Weeks later, on the 8th of November, our initial contact person informed us that the boat-people had reached out to him and confirmed that they were safe.
Last update: 16:47 Nov 23, 2016
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