28/12: 1 boat near Dakhla intercepted by Police // 1 boat from near Layyoune probably rescued by Salvamento Maritimo

29.12.2019 / 13:28 / Western Mediterranean

Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 28th of December 2019
Case name: 2019_12_28-WM438
Situation: 20 people intercepted by police near Dakhla //– 40 people rescued to Las Palmas
Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded
Place of Incident: Western Mediteranean

Summary of the Cases:

On Saturday the 28th of December, the Alarm Phone was alerted to two groups of travellers in distress. The first group, we eventually found out, had been intercepted by the Moroccan police before they set off from Dakhla. The second group, which had left from Laayoune, were probably rescued by Salvamento Maritimo.

At 1.00pm CET the Alarm Phone was alerted to a case of 20 people who were said to have left near Dakhla. The telephone contact to the people on the boat could not be established again throughout the duration of the case, although all available channels were tried. Eventually we received a gps position from a friend of the travellers. The friend of the travellers forwarded another telephone number of one of the travellers, this too could not be reached. At 10.22pm the friend of the travellers informed the Alarm Phone that all 20 persons were intercepted by police before leaving and were now at the police station in Laayoune.

At 2.48pm the Alarm Phone was alerted to one boat carrying 40 people started between Boundour and Dakhla. A friend of the travellers informed us about the case and passed on the number of a person on the boat. This number remained unreachable. Since Moroccan authorities did not know about a boat of this description, we called Salvamento Maritimo Las Palmas at 11.49pm, who confirmed that they were already alerted to the case and were searching for the boat. The number on the boat remained unreachable until midday the following day, and there were no updates from authorities. At 4.48pm Salvamento Maritimo Las Palmas confirmed the rescue of a boat carrying 40 people and with the same phone number passed to the Alarm Phone by the friend of the travellers. We were unable to receive confirmation of this by the travellers themselves or their family members.
Last update: 18:02 Feb 01, 2020
Credibility: UP DOWN 0
Layers »
  • 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

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