Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 7th of September 2019
Case name: 2019_09_07-CM189
Situation: 2 boats rescued by Ocean Viking
Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded
Place of Incident: Central Mediterranean

Summary of the Case:
In the morning of the 7th of September the alarm phone shift team was called by a boat carrying 34 people who had left Al Zawiya at 2am CEST. Although the people called several times they were technically not able to provide any GPS position. At 1.30pm the people told us that they saw a white small airplane. In this moment the alarm phone team could countercheck with the reconnaissance plane Moonbird, which was operational in this area, what could be the position of this boat. In the late evening the alarm phone learned that a sailing boat could first rescue the people, who afterwards during the night were transferred to the rescue ship Ocean Viking. It was then confirmed that the engine of the boat was not working anymore and that a thunderstorm was breaking in soon after they were rescued.

At 10:33pm CEST on the 7th of September the alarmphone shift team was called by a boat carrying 50 people who had left from Zuwarah. It seemed as their engine wasn’t working and they asked for rescue. We alerted both the Italian coastguard and the rescue ship Ocean Viking as they were in the area. We lost communication with the boat at 11.55pm and we were unable to establish communication with the Libyan coastguard. Ocean Viking arrived at the position but did not locate the boat, they began their search at around 6:40am (8th of September). At 8:30 am we established contact with the boat again and received an updated GPS coordinate which we passed on to authorities and Ocean Viking. The case was particularly challenging for the alarm phone shift teams as the people from the boat gave conflicting information concerning their number and about their GPS-position. Obviously it happened due to the stressful situation on the boat. Finally at 2pm the boat people called us again and said that they could see a red and white boat (the same colors as the Ocean Viking). At 2:33pm we received an email from the Ocean Viking informing authorities that they had spotted the boat. At 3:25pm the Ocean Viking informed the Libyan, Italian, Tunisian and Maltese authorities that they were beginning a rescue operation of the people on the boat. At 5:31pm the Ocean Viking emailed confirming the successful rescue of all 50 people.