Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 3rd of November 2020

Case name: 20201103-CM320

Situation: 21 people started from Zuwara, engine stopped and the travellers were brought back to Libya

Status of WTM Investigation: concluded

Place of Incident: Central Mediterranean Sea

Summary of the Case:

On 3rd of November 2020 at 08:53h CET the Alarm Phone got called by a satellite phone. The travellers stated to be 21 persons on board, all men, the small red rubber boat was 2 days at sea, they started from Zuwara and now the engine stopped working. The GPS was transferred verbally. At 09:31h the shift team called the Tunisian coastguard to make them aware. They said to check the GPS position and that the Alarm Phone can call back in half an hour. Afterwards an email was sent to all coast guards around the Central Mediterranean Sea. At 10:13h the Tunisian coastguard was called again: the officer said the boat was located in Libyan waters and therefor no action will be undertaken by the Tunisian coastguard. The officer advised to call the so-called Libyan coastguard. In the next phone call with the travellers they were desperate and water was entering the boat. In the next hour the situation got worse, the travellers want the Alarm Phone to call even the so-called Libyan coastguard. When the shift team called MRCC Rome at 11:52h they gave no information and referred us to the so-called Libyan coastguard. At 12:40h another GPS position was transferred by the travellers and they stated to see some merchant vessels. This was the last contact to the travellers. The Alarm Phone went public with the case at 14:25h to denounce the non-assistance of the competent authorities. In the same hour the shift team got called by a friend of the travellers who prepared the Alarm Phone with the origin of the people on board.

Tunisian coastguard was called again at 15:50h. They said they informed the so-called Libyan coastguards who then said to launch a rescue operation. The officer emphasized that the case is not their responsibility but copied the new GPS position. Afterwards all attempts to call in Tripoli failed and the friend of the people was worried because he can’t reach them anymore. In the evening the shift team succeeded to speak to the so-called Libyan coastguard who told that a rescue operation is ongoing but more information can be given only by tomorrow.

On 4th November at 00:41h CET the Alarm Phone resent the email to all authorities to stress the fact that the people havn’t been rescued until now. Although it seems unlikely that the travellers were on the same spot then last day 12:40h the shift team realize a nearby merchant vessel and added this information to the email.

The so-called Libyan coastguard could be reached in the morning at 07:40h. They informed to have saved around 30 people near an oil platform but can’t give more information. The Tunisian coastguard was called at 09:20h. They promised to call the Libyan authorities to gather information. In the next hour the Alarm Phone got three different information from the so-called Libyan coastguard: First, that they do not know about any rescue operation, then that they didn’t perform any rescue operation yesterday and last that they got the information about the boat from MRCC Rome but didn’t take any action. In a phone call to MRCC Rome they only repeated they aren’t responsible. Another email was sent at 11:55h.

In the evening the so-called Libyan coastguard told the shift team to have returned the boat last night. As IOM published some matching numbers the Alarm Phone take this as a confirmation that the travellers are back in Libya.