26/02: About 150 people started from Libya and came in severe distress, fate unclear, possible interception by so called Libyan Coastguard

27.02.2021 / 21:47 / Central Mediterranean Sea

Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 26th of February 2021

Case name: 2021_02_26-CM377

Situation: lost contact to a boat in urgent distress, maybe interception of scLCG

Status of WTM Investigation: fate unclear

Place of Incident: Central Mediterranean Sea

Summary of the Case:

On February 26 at 7.40h CET a boat in distress called the Alarm Phone saying they were about 150 people in distress on board of a rubber boat, among them 20 women and 11 children. They said they had no food nor water, but the connection was very bad and it was not possible to get a clear GPS position. Nevertheless we informed authorities and the NGO Sea-Watch. The people on board called us again shouting and panicking, saying people were in the water. We called Rome to ask them to localize the satelite phone on board. They did not give us any information about if they would do so. Sea-Watch informed us about a grey, deflated and empty rubber boat that might had been intercepted by Libyan Coast Guard. The LYC themselves stated to have rescued 2 boats that day, one with 151 people on board. We tried a lot to reach the people again, our last contact was at 10.26h CET. At 22.50h CET we decided to close the case as we were not able to establish contact again or to get more information. The fate of the people remained unclear.

Last update: 22:17 Jun 01, 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