22/01: 13 people stranded on Ro Island, transferred to Kastellorizo by Greek Coastguard

23.01.2020 / 20:46 / Aegean Sea

Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 22nd of January 2020

Case name: 2020_01_22-AEG650
Situation: 13 people stranded on Ro island, Greece. Found by Greek Coastguard and brought to Kastellorizo island.
Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded
Place of Incident: Aegean Sea

Summary of the Case:
On 22 January 2020 at 10:03pm CET the Alarm Phone received a call from a friend of someone stranded on the Greek Island Ro. He reported of a group of 13 travelers and sent GPS coordinates. The group had arrived some hours before, the contact had broken off and there was no information about their situation. At 10:37pm our shift team informed the Greek Coastguard via phone call and e-mail. They stated to know already of a case on Ro Island.
From then on, we could not contact the group. At 01:45am we called the Greek Coastguard again, and they confirmed to have found the 13 people and to have transferred them to Kastellorizo Island. We could not get a direct confirmation from the travelers or their friend who had informed us.

Last update: 14:11 Mar 06, 2020

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