Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 24th of January 2020

Case name: 2020_01_24-CM223
Situation: One group of 95 and one group of 50 travelers rescued by Ocean Viking, one group of 60 people rescued by Alan Kurdi, all in Libyan SAR-Zone
Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded
Place of Incident: Central Mediterranean Sea

Summary of the Cases:

On 24th of January 2020 the Alarm Phone was in contact with three groups in distress in the Central Mediterranean Sea.
The first call came in at 01:45am CET from 95 people, among them 15 women and several children and babies. They had started from Zawiya, Libya and were situated in the Libyan SAR-Zone. We informed the so-called Libyan Coastguard and civil rescue ships in the area. During the night we were informed that one woman was giving birth, at 05:07am the civil rescue ship Ocean Viking confirmed the rescue of the people.
The second alert came in at 06:45am CET from a group of 60 travelers, including women, children and babies, saying they need help and passing a GPS position. They had started from Sabratha, Libya. We informed the Libyan authorities and civil rescue ships present in the area and at 01:34am the crew of the civil rescue ship Alan Kurdi confirmed the rescue of the people.
The third call came in at 02:50am CET from a group of 50 travelers, started from Sabratha, Libya. There were women and children on board. We informed the Libyan authorities and civil rescue organizations at 03:06am and the crew of the Ocean Viking confirmed the rescue of the travelers at 05:10am.


Case 1:
At 01:45am CET our shift team was called by a group of 95 travelers in distress. Among them were 15 women and four children. They had started three hours ago from Zawiya, Libya, they had a white rubber boat with the engine still running. They sent us a GPS location in the Libyan Search and Rescue Zone. At 02:15am we sent an e-mail with all the information to the Libyan Coastguard, forwarding it also to civil Sea Rescue organizations present with rescue ships in the area. At 02:18am the travelers called us and updated their GPS position. We sent the update to the authorities and civil organizations. Shortly after this, the travelers called several times, saying they needed help and asking for news. They reported that water was entering the boat now. We tried to encourage them, saying that rescue actors were informed. At 02:25am the travelers updated their GPS location and ten minutes later they reported that more water was entering the boat and one of the women was giving birth. We informed the authorities about this via e-mail at 02:34am. At 02:39am we received an e-mail from the civil rescue ship Ocean Viking that was sent to the Libyan authorities and us in response to our e-mail. Ocean Viking stated to be heading towards the position of the group in distress which was about seven nautical miles away from them at that moment. At 02:39am we talked to the travelers again and received a new GPS location. We learned that nobody on the boat had life vests. We informed them that a rescue ship was on its way towards them and encouraged them to keep strong. At 02:49am we updated the informed actors about the new GPS location. At 02:55am we talked to the people on the boat again and advised them to turn on light to be visible and to stay calm and seated when the rescue operation starts. At 03:08am we received an e-mail from the Ocean Viking, telling us and all relevant authorities that they had spotted lights at the given position and that they were going to launch their RHIBs to investigate the situation. At 03:10am the travelers told us on the phone that they were seeing a big ship and lights. We emphasized that they should follow the instructions of the rescuers. At 03:32am the Ocean Viking sent an update on the situation, saying there were around 95 people, everybody was agitated, their boat was unseaworthy, overcrowded, no one was wearing lifejackets and the starboard sponson was broken. As the head of mission stated that this was clearly a distress phase, they informed the authorities and us that the Ocean Viking was now going the rescue the people. From then on, we could not get through to the travelers anymore, but at 05:07am the Ocean Viking confirmed via e-mail the rescue of all survivors, among them women and babies. According to them they had all been suffering seasickness.

Case 2:
At 06:45am our shift team was called by someone on a boat, saying they need help. They passed us a GPS location and said there were around 60 people, many women, some of them pregnant, and children on board and their engine was not working properly. They started from Sabratha, Libya. The call broke off before we could find out more. At 07:00am we re-established the connection. They were on a rubber boat and gave us a new GPS location. At 07:10am we sent an e-mail to the Libyan authorities and civil rescue organizations present in the Central Mediterranean Sea, passing all the information about the case, the current GPS location and the number of the people’s satellite phone. At 08:50am we spoke to the people again, telling them that we had informed rescue actors. They passed us a new GPS location and reported that the situation on board was worsening. At 09:10am they called us again saying they had spotted a ship, but it was too far away to see its colors. At 09:30am they confirmed that they could still see it. From then on, we had no more contact to the travelers but at 01:34pm the crew of the civil rescue ship Alan Kurdi confirmed the safe rescue of the group via e-mail to the Libyan authorities and us. According to their report there were eight women, seven children and a baby of six month.

Case 3:
At 02:50am CET our shift team was called by a person in a group of around 50 travelers in distress, among them 8 women and several children. They had started from Sabratha, Libya at 10:30pm CET. They had a blue wooden boat, water was entering and only a few people had life vests. At 03:06am we sent an e-mail with all the information, including the GPS location and the number of the satellite phone, to the Libyan authorities and the civil rescue organizations present in the area. At 03:41am we received an update on the GPS location from the people and sent it to the informed parties. At 04:16am we received an e-mail from the civil rescue ship Ocean Viking, informing us and the Libyan authorities that they had arrived on scene with two RHIBs and observed that the people were in danger, their boat was unseaworthy and overcrowded. At 05:10am the crew of the Ocean Viking sent another e-mail confirming that the rescue operation was completed, and all people were safely taken on board.