26/02: 7 men started from Libya and were probably intercepted by so-called Libyan Coast Guard after water was entering their boat

27.02.2021 / 21:52 / Central Mediterranean Sea

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

Case name: 2021_02_26-CM378

Situation: Water entering a small wooden boat with 7 men on board after engine stops working, probably interception by so-called Libyan Coast Guard

Status of WTM Investigation: fate unclear

Place of Incident: Central Mediterranean

Summary of the Case:

At 08:23h CET on 26th of February, Alarm Phone was called by a satellite phone. The call was made from a boat with seven men on board, who had departed from Libya. They called us because their engine stopped working and water was entering their boat. They were asking for help and rescue. After the line broke several times, they were able to give us a GPS-Position. We informed authorities via Email at 09:24h CET about the distress case and told them, that the people were in urgent need of rescue.

At 09:20h CET they called us again to give us an updated GPS-position, but the line broke and we were not able to reach them ever since.

According to observers and reports on social media, the so-called Libyan Coast Guard intercepted a wooden boat with about 7 people close to the GPS-position, that the people gave us. We still have no confirmation if it was the same boat and we don’t know what happened to the travellers. We keep them in our thoughts and truly hope, they have made it to safety.

Last update: 22:18 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