14/07: 50 people in distress in international waters, intercepted to Lybia

15.07.2021 / 16:15 / Central Mediterranean

Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – July 14th 2021

Case name: 2021_07_14-CM504

Situation: Nine women, eight children, 33 men in distress close to El Bouri oil terminal, intercepted to Lybia 13hours after initial alert to authorities.

Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded

Place of Incident: Central Mediterranean

Summary of Case In the night of July 14th a boat in distress carrying nine women, eight children and 33 men in distress in international waters in a white plastic boat. At the time of the call the people informed us they had run out of fuel and winds were strong. We alerted authorities at 02.50 CEST. Throughout the night, we attempted to establish contact to the so-called Lybian coast guard, to no avail. The Marine Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) Rome did not provide any information on a possible SAR mission and referred us back to the so-called Lybian coast guard. At 10.38 CEST we reached an operator of the so-called Lybian coast guard who noted the details of the boat in distress. At 14.11 CEST the aerial reconnaissance craft Moonbird stated it had spotted a distress case matching the details we received from people on the boat. At 16.02 CEST Moonbird confirmed the interception by the so-called Lybian coast guard of the 50 people.

Tweets

July 15th

07.50 CEST

12.08 CEST

17.08 CEST

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