Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 16th August 2021

Case name: 2021_08_16-CM540

Situation: 29 people in distress in Maltese SAR, rescued by merchant vessel Geo Barents.

Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded

Place of Incident: Central Mediterranean

Summary of the case:
On Monday the 16th of August the Alarm Phone shift team received a direct call from a boat in distress in Maltese waters. They were 29 people, including women and children, and they had left from Zuwara at 01.30 CEST the same morning on a yellow wooden boat. The travellers told us that the women and children onboard were sick and that they were all exhausted and scared as it was getting dark. At 20.30 CEST we sent an email informing the authorities about the distress of the boat, forwarding all information we had. We managed to stay in touch with the group of travellers and updated the authorities with their position and deteriorating situation throughout the evening. At 00.22 CEST we were informed that the rescue vessel Geo Barents was on scene. At 02.04 CEST Geo Barents had carried out rescue of the travellers, as they assessed that the situation onboard the wooden boat was highly dangerous. The rescue vessel informed that they were able to provided needed urgent medical attention to the travellers.