15/08: 55 travellers reportedly pushed back to Turkey by Greek coastguard

16.08.2020 / 19:13 / Aegean Sea

Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 15th August 2020

Case name: 2020_08_15-AEG699

Situation: A boat carrying 55 travellers was reportedly pushed back into Turkish waters by the Greek coastguard. The travelers were then picked up by the Turkish coastguard.

Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded

Place of Incident: Aegean Sea

Summary of the Case: In the morning of Saturday the 15th of August, the Alarm Phone was alerted to a boat in distress carrying 55 travellers, including 10 children. We were alerted by a relative of one of the travellers who reported that the boat had been pushed back into Turkish waters by the Greek coastguard. We were also informed that water was entering the boat and that the motor was not working. After unsuccessfully trying to reach the travellers, at 10:15h CEST our shift team alerted the Turkish coastguard. The officer that answered the phone told us that they were already aware about the case and were planning to send boats to patrol the area. At 11:05h we finally managed to reach the travellers, however connection was bad and we were unable to get an updated GPS position. At 11:12h we were informed by the relative that first contacted us that the travellers had been picked up by the Turkish coastguard.

We are still investigating the detailed developments and will include potential updates into this report.

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