06/05: 2 boats in distress carrying 10 travelers each intercepted by Moroccan Navy

07.05.2019 / 21:15 / Western Mediterranean Sea

Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 6th of May 2019

Case name: 2019_05_06-WM388
Situation: 20 travelers on two boats intercepted by the Moroccan Navy
Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded
Place of Incident: Western Mediterranean Sea

Summary of the Cases:
On Monday, 6th of May, our shift team was alerted to two boats in distress in the Western Mediterranean Sea carrying 10 travelers each. Both groups were brought back to Morocco after an interception by the Moroccan Navy Marine Royale.

Case 1: At 8:45am CEST we were informed about a group of 10 travelers, all men, who had embarked from Cap Spartel at 3:30am local time. We tried to call the people, but we could not get through to them and at 09:18am we learned from the person who had alerted us that they had been intercepted by the Marine Royale.

Case 2: At 8:46am CEST we were alerted to a second boat with 10 people, all men, who had also embarked from Cap Spartel at 4:00am local time. At 9:20am we reached the travelers via phone call and the ambience on board seemed calm, but we could not get accurate information about their situation. At 9:25am we tried and asked for more information and a GPS location via WhatsApp, but the travelers did not receive our messages and we could not call them anymore. At 09:43am we contacted the contact person again to ask for a location of the boat and we learned that the people had been intercepted by the Marine Royale.

Last update: 21:32 May 12, 2019

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