31/03: 65 people fled Turkey, rescued in territorial waters of Italy and brought to land

01.04.2021 / 23:22 / Ionian Sea

Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 31st of March 2021

Case name: 2021_03_31-AEG778

Situation: 65 people fled Turkey, rescued in territorial waters of Itay and brought to land by Italian Coastguard

Status of WTM Investigation: concluded

Place of Incident: Aegean Sea

Summary of the Case:

In the early morning of 31st of March 2021 the Alarm Phone received a call. A relative told about a group of 65 people who fled from Turkey trying to reach Italy. The caller forwarded a telephone number. We called the travellers shortly after and they gave us a GPS position, the boat was already located close to the coast of Sardegna. The people also said that they see police behind them and hoped for rescue. At 06.12h CEST we called MRCC Rome who stated to be aware of the case and rushed us off the telephone. We sent an email to them. At 06.30h CEST we called the Coastguards of Catania who confirmed to conduct a rescue mission. At this time, we couldn't reach the travellers anymore. When we called in Palermo at 08.35h CEST, we got the confirmation that the people have been picked up. BOZA!

Last update: 16:12 Aug 20, 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