21/12: 1 boat rescued to Farmakonisi, 1 boat likely rescued to Chios

22.12.2018 / 11:18 / Aegean Sea

Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 21st of December 2018
Case name: 2018_12_21-AEG471
Situation: AEG-1 boat rescued to Farmakonisi/ Greece, 1 boat rescued to Chios
Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded
Place of Incident: Aegean Sea

Summary of the Case: On the 21st of December, our shift teams were alerted to 2 boats on the Aegean. The first boat was directed to Chios Island and was likely rescued by the Greek Coastguard. The second boat was in immediate distress and after the shift team contacted the Greek Coastguard they rescued the boat.

The shift team was alerted to the first boat at 2.59am CET. A brother of one of the travellers had lost contact to them 2 hours ago. The shift team attempted to contact the boat without success, could not get in touch with the travellers and there was no location available. Nevertheless, our shift team called the Greek Coastguard. After several hours, there was no follow up from the boat. There was a rescue of a boat to Chios at around 4:00am local time that could fit to the boat. We could not establish any connection to the travellers, so we are lacking a final confirmation.

The shift team was alerted to a second boat in immediate distress at 4.32am CET moving towards Farmakonisi. The shift team promptly related the news to the Greek Coastguard. The shift team also remained in contact with the boat, who continued to communicate that they were in urgent distress and afraid they would drown. Nevertheless they were still moving forward. At 5.10am, the travelers confirmed to the Alarm Phone that they had been rescued. They were later brought to Leros.

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