14/07: 33 people returned to West Sahara independently

15.07.2021 / 15:32 / Western Mediterranean

Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – July 14th 2021

Case name: 20210714-WM647

Situation: Four women and 29 men lost direction and returned to West Sahara independently

Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded

Place of Incident: Western Mediterranean

Summary of Case In the evening of July 14th a relative informed us of a group of four women and 29 men who had departed Dakhla for Gran Canaria two days ago. At the time of the call they had not had news from them in more than a day and weather conditions were worsening in the area. We alerted authorities at 18.03 CEST. Neither the Spanish Search and Rescue organisation Salvamento Marítimo (SM) nor the Moroccan Navy had rescued a boat matching the description. We were unable to establish direct contact to the boat throughout the night. Ih the morning of July 13th SM Las Palmas confirmed the launch of a SAR mission, which was concluded without finding the boat in the evening. In the morning of July 14th the relative who had initially alerted us to the distress case informed us the group had independently returned to West Sahara. We updated authorities about this information.

Last update: 15:59 Feb 03, 2022

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