Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigation – 8th of May 2015

Case name: 2015_05_08-CM17
Situation: Three vessels in distress in the Central Mediterranean
Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded
Place of Incident: Central Mediterranean Sea

Summary of the Case: On the 8th of May 2015, our shift team was notified about three vessels in distress in the Central Mediterranean Sea. Contact to two of them could be established and later in the evening their rescue was confirmed by the Maltese authorities. For the first time, German military vessels that were sent to the Central Mediterranean region for that purpose, were involved in rescue operations. The vessels ‘Hessen’ and ‘Berlin’ led the rescue of these three vessels.

We from the Alarm Phone support the increased efforts made to rescue and it is clear that the sending out of three German military vessels has been a direct response to the public pressure that has mounted in the German civil society. We seek to maintain this pressure and expect continuous rescue efforts in the future. At the same time, we stand opposed to the idea of destroying ‘smuggling vessels’ which is gaining traction internationally. If enacted, these actions would signify a new dimension of a politics of deterrence where the few remaining means of transport for refugees would be destroyed, so that people become imprisoned along African shores. The only viable alternative is to establish a humanitarian ferry line that safely transfers people out of Libya, as we have called for before (see source 1).

On Friday the 8th of May 2015, around noon, the shift team of the Alarm Phone was alerted by Father Mussie Zerai to two cases of distress in the Central Mediterranean Sea. The shift team reached out to the first vessel (vessel 1) and, despite communication difficulties, understood that water was entering the vessel, that passengers were without food and water and that one or several pregnant women were on board. These information were passed on to the MRCC Rome.

The shift team contacted the second vessel (vessel 2) and received coordinates indicating the position of the vessel (see map). The passengers reported that they had left Libya about 9 hours earlier. People on the vessel were sick and they indicated that there were actually two vessels, carrying 94 and 69 people and that the latter vessel (vessel 3) had pregnant women on board. These information were also passed on to the MRCC Rome and they stated that they were in the process of rescuing. The shift team reached out to the passengers and informed them about the started rescue procedures.

In the meantime, vessel 1 could not be reached anymore, the phone seemed to have been switched off.

Passengers from vessel 2 called the shift team around 2 pm to inform them that they could see a large vessel nearby. With the newly received coordinates, the shift team was able to locate a Germany military vessel in their vicinity. Shortly afterwards, the passengers reported to the shift team that vessel 3 had started capsizing. The shift team immediately reached out to MRCC Rome to inform them about the sinking vessel. The Italian authorities confirmed that the German military vessel was involved in a rescue operation but stated that they were not aware of the capsizing vessel. They promised to immediately notify the German vessel about the situation. The passengers called again and the shift team urged them to stay calm. A few minutes later they contacted our shift team again and stated that small rescue vessels emerging from the large military vessel were now moving towards them.

The shift team contacted MRCC Rome once again and was told that two vessels had been rescued but we were informed that regarding the third vessel no further information could be passed on. Also in a later phone conversation, MRCC Rome refused to provide details about the rescue operations. Contact to the passengers could not be re-established in the meantime.

At around 8pm, the shift team contacted the RCC Malta. They noted down the information about the three vessels and confirmed shortly after that a German military vessel had rescued the three vessels in distress.