Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigation – 15 January 2015

Case name: 2015_01_15-CM6
Situation: Vessel in distress in Libyan waters, carrying between 200-300 people
Status of WTM Investigation: Ongoing (latest information received on the 16th of January 2015)
Place of Incident: Central Mediterranean Sea, approximately 20 miles off the coast of Libya

Summary of the Case: On Thursday the 15th of January 2015, in the afternoon, the Alarm Phone shift team was alerted by email to a vessel in distress with approximately 300 people on board. The contact person stated that the passengers were from Somalia, Eritrea and other countries, including 25 children and 60 women. The shift team tried to reach the migrants via the provided Thuraya satellite phone number but was unable to get through. It notified the Italian coastguard and forwarded the Thuraya number. In a phone conversation, the coastguard suggested that they had reached the boat via phone, were able to localise its position and would carry out a rescue operation. However, it was not entirely certain whether they were dealing with the same vessel in distress as the coastguard did not want to provide or verify further information.

Drawing from online sources, the shift team learned about a vessel that was rescued 20 miles off Tripoli/Libya with approximately 200 people on board. Seeking to verify whether this was the vessel in question, the shift team turned again to the Italian coastguard and was put through to the chief of rescue operations. Seemingly nervous and angry, he enquired into the names and addresses of shift team members. Reluctant to provide details other than those relating to the official work of the Watch The Med Alarm Phone, the shift team stated that they merely needed a verification of whether the rescued boat corresponded with the details of the primary vessel in question. However, the chief of operations threatened to alert authorities to the actions of the Alarm Phone and hung up without providing any further information.

In the morning of the 16th of January, the shift team obtained information that suggested that the vessel in distress had been rescued and that the passengers would be brought to an Italian port. This information was later confirmed by the Italian navy which announced a successful rescue operation on Twitter. The shift team got hold of the contact person who had first alerted them to the case. He was relieved to know that the people he was concerned about were safe.