Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 18th of February 2020
Case name: 2020_02_18-CM231
Situation: Alarm Phone alerted to several boats in the CM. Fate of many travellers remain unclear, but many supposedly intercepted by the so-called Libyan coastguard.
Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded
Place of Incident: Central Mediterranean

Summary of the Case: On Tuesday the 18th of February, the Alarm Phone shift team was alerted to three boats in the central Mediterranean Sea. At 05.03h we were alerted to a boat carrying 90 people. They were rescued by Ocean Viking.
Later in the morning we were alerted to a group of 97 people who left from Al Khoms made it to the Maltese search and rescue zone where they were rescued by the armed forces of Malta and brought to Malta. Another boat in distress with 90 travellers called us at 14.08. They were as well rescued by Ocean Viking and brought to safety.

At 05.03h we were alerted to a boat carrying 90 people, including four women and 10 children. The travellers had left from Zuwara the previous morning on a wooden boat and were heading towards Lampedusa. They had run out of food and water, there were not enough life vests for everyone on board, and people were panicking. At 05.35h we sent an email to the relevant rescue authorities, including the Ocean Viking crew in cc, alerting them to the distress of the travellers. Our shift team was able to recharge the satellite phone on board, allowing the travellers to communicate.
At 06.11h we received an email from Ocean Viking to the authorities, informing that their vessel was 22nm from the position of the travellers, and that they had altered their course in order to assist if needed. At 06.03h we received an updated position from the travellers, which we forwarded to the relevant authorities. At 06.25h we spoke to the travellers again, and advised them to stay calm and seated once rescue arrived. At 07.21h we received another email from Ocean Viking, informing that they had spotted a boat close to the provided position. At 08.52 they informed us that they had carried out the rescue operation, and that all the travellers were safely onboard their vessel.

In the early morning, we received a call from a boat. We explained them how to search and send a GPS position. we got the following information directly from the boat: the travelers left from Al Khoms on a black rubber boat with 97 people on board. Their engine was working, but they had no life vests left. The person on the phone was very stressed. At 01:30 we informed Malta by phone and sent an email to the relevant MRCC and NGOs about the distress call. Malta answered us that they would investigate. AT 02:59 we received an email from Sea Watch to the Maltese Coast Guard informing them that Sea Watch was proceeding to render assistance to a distress case in the Maltese search and rescue zone. We tried to collaborate with the Maltese Coast Guards but they did not provide any information in response to our calls. At 14:00h on the18th, we received an email from Malta's MRCC informing NGOs and us that no assistance was needed anymore as the rescue was carried out. At 14:40h we tweeted "We have now received the very good news that @Armed_Forces_MT rescued this boat in distress during the night. We are relieved that the people on board received assistance and did not have to spend the whole night at sea on an unseaworthy boat."

At 14.08h we were called by a boat that had left from Libya at 5.30 the same morning, carrying 91 travellers including one woman and one child. Water was entering the boat. It was difficult to obtain the GPS position from the travellers, but when we managed at 15.14h we sent an email to rescue authorities, alerting them to the distress of the travellers. Our shift team was able to recharge the credit on the satellite phone of the travellers in order to enable them to communicate and allowing us to stay in touch and receive updated positions. At 15.27h Ocean Viking informed us that they were around one hour away from the position we had forwarded, and proceeding towards the boat. At 16.37h we received an email form Ocean Viking informing authorities, that they were assisting the travellers, as they were in a dangerous situation. At 17.40 they confirmed that the rescue of the travellers was complete.