25/08: Alarm Phone alerted to a boat in distress near Chios carrying 59 people

26.08.2018 / 22:38 / Aegean Sea

Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 25th of August 2018
Case name: 2018_08_25-AEG 417
Situation: Alarm Phone informed of 59 people on a boat near Chios
Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded
Place of Incident: Aegean Sea

Summary of the Case: On Saturday 25th of August the Alarm phone was alerted to a boat in distress carrying 59 people, including 15 children and 19 women, close to Chios. The people are rescued by the Greek coast guard.

At 4:20am the Alarm Phone shift team was contacted about a boat in distress. We were told that the boat has a large number of people on board and is moving very fast. At 4:45am we were able to establish contact with the boat, and learned that there are 59 people on board, among them 15 children and 19 women. A few minutes later they sent us their new position, and it became clear that they were still moving forward.
At 4:55am we called the Greek coast guard and informed them of the case. Over the next hour we tried and failed many times to reestablish contact with the boat. At 5:41 we are told that the coast guard has arrived and is rescuing the people. A few minutes later we received confirmation of this by those on board the boat.

Last update: 20:09 Sep 26, 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