20 people in distress in the Western Med, intercepted by Morocco

18.06.2015 / 19:24 / Western Mediterranean Sea, Morocco

Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigation - 17th of June 2015

Case name: 2015_06_17-WM22
Situation: Distress situation in the Western Mediterranean Sea, interception by the Moroccan Navy
Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded
Place of Incident: Western Mediterranean Sea, near Morocco

Summary of the Cases: In the morning of Wednesday the 17th of June 2015, the Alarm Phone shift team received a distress call at around 7.30am from a vessel in the Western Mediterranean Sea. Despite several interruptions and difficult communications, the passengers informed us that they were 20 people who had left the Moroccan coast on a small plastic vessel at around 2am and were trying to reach Tarifa in Spain.

In a conversation with the Spanish rescue agency Salvamento Maritimo, we were informed that they had knowledge of the vessel in question. Salvamento Maritimo stated that it seemed to two vessels in distress, carrying 8 and 10 people each. At about 7:50am, Salvamento Maritimo confirmed that they were in the process of searching for the vessel and about an hour and a half later, they stated that the Moroccan navy had just intercepted 3 vessels in the Western Mediterranean Sea.

A few hours later, Salvamento Maritimo confirmed that the vessel/s in question had been intercepted by the Moroccan Navy and the passengers were hence returned to Morocco.

Last update: 20:11 Jun 23, 2015

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