19/02: 95 travellers probably reached Lampedusa

20.02.2021 / 22:25 / Central Mediterranean Sea

Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 19th February 2021

Case name: 2021_02_19-CM371
Situation: 95 travellers probably reached Lampedusa
Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded
Place of Incident: Central Mediterranean Sea

Summary of the Case:
Around 21:00h CET in the evening of Friday the 19th of February, the Alarm Phone was called by a boat in distress carrying 95 travellers. The connection was very bad so it was hard to understand each other, however we managed to get a GPS position which showed they were close to Lampedusa. We also understood that they had finished their fuel and were in immediate distress. At 22:21h our shift team email the authorities passing on all the information we had. Later in the night when we got an updated GPS position we immediately forwarded it to the authorities. The following morning, at 08:48 we called the Italian coastguard who however, refused to give us any information. As we were no longer able to reach the travellers during that day we closed the case. While we do not have confirmation, we believe that the travellers have reached Lampedusa as according to the latest position we received they were very close to the island.

Last update: 23:10 Jun 02, 2021

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