04/04: Boat with 30 people rescued to Chios Island

05.04.2018 / 13:02 / Aegean Sea

Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 4th of April 2018

Case name: 2018_04_04-AEG365
Situation: Boat in distress in the Aegean Sea
Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded
Place of Incident: Aegean Sea

Summary of the Case: On Wednesday, the 4th of April 2018, our shift team was alerted at 3.09am by a contact person to a boat in distress in the Aegean Sea, carrying 30 people. We received their GPS position as well as a phone number. Our contact person reported that the boat was at serious risk of capsizing and asked us to alert the Turkish coastguard, since the boat was still in Turkish territory. At 3.15am, we spoke directly to the boat-people and they confirmed that they needed urgent help, and so we agreed to inform the Turkish authorities. At 3.20am, we received a voice message from them, telling us that although they were moving, they were in danger and needed help.
We passed their GPS position and other details to the Turkish coastguards at 3.31am. In the meantime, we received new GPS position. At 3.43am we also alerted the Greek coastguards to the case. The boat-people informed us at 3.56am that they were on a rubber boat with 30 people in total, including six children and two infants, as well as a pregnant woman. At 4.08am, our contact person informed us that there were two vessels in the vicinity of the boat in distress. At 4.24am, the Greek coastguards called us and asked us to tell the boat-people that they should get ready for the start of a rescue operation in a few minutes. We were, like our contact person, unable to quickly reach the boat. But already at 4.41am, the boat-people said that they were all safe on the Greek rescue vessel. They said that they were from Syria and had seen so many bad things, but that this day was a happy day in their lives. At 4.43am, we confirmed to the Greek coastguards that the people rescued had been from the boat in question. We then also informed our contact person about the rescue. At 6.18am, the person from the boat confirmed once more that they were safe and that they had arrived on Chios Island.

Last update: 12:55 Apr 10, 2018

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