04/11: 79 people started from Zuwara, Libya, and reached Lampedusa

05.11.2020 / 20:23 / Central Mediterranean Sea

Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 4th of November 2020

Case name: 20201104-CM322

Situation: 79 people started from Zuwara, Libya, and reached Lampedusa autonomously

Status of WTM Investigation: concluded

Place of Incident: Central Mediterranean

Summary of the Case:

On 4th of November 2020 at 23:05h CET the shift team was called from a satellite phone. The situation on board seemed chaotic and before the GPS position could be transferred verbally the call was interrupted. 45 minutes later the GPS position was complete and also some other information: it was a blue boat with 81 persons on it, among them 3 women and children. The travellers stated the boat was drifting.

An email with all necessary information was sent to the competent authorities in the first minutes of 5th November 2020. Afterwards RCC Malta was called to get confirmation of receiving the email. In a next call to the travellers at 00:17h the number of Maltese coast guard was passed. The people begged for help. 30 minutes later they stated that water comes slowly into the boat. At 01:28h the shift team decided to alert the company of the merchant vessel MARIDIVE 601 in vicinity. This was done by email, given phone number couldn’t be reached. In the next and last phone call with the travellers at 01:38h they stated to be exhausted.

In the morning the shift team started again to come into contact with the responsible person of the shipping company. This was very tedious and finally not helpful.

Numerous attempts to contact Maltese coast guards succeeded only at 14:22h. The officer took all information and asked to call back later.

17:16h the so-called Libyan coast guard was called but they stated to not have information about the rescue of such a boat.

In the evening we learned by a journalist that 79 travellers reached Lampedusa.
Last update: 15:52 Feb 16, 2021
Credibility: UP DOWN 0
Layers »
  • 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

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