22/08: 20 people rescued by the Italian coastguard

Verified

  In Distress   Boza

23.08.2021 / 21:52 / Central Mediterranean Sea

Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 22nd August 2021

Case name: 2021_08_22-CM547

Situation: 20 people rescued by the Italian coastguard, crew of the vessel NADIR standing by the travellers until rescue arrived.

Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded

Place of Incident: Central Mediterranean

Summary of the case: On Sunday the 22nd of August 2021, the Alarm Phone shift team was alerted directly by a boat carrying 20 travellers, including three women and nine children. The travellers told us that they had no food and water left and almost no fuel. They were exhausted, thirsty and desperate for help. At 15.41 CEST we informed all relevant authorities via email. At 16.04 CEST we alerted the public to the distress of the travellers with the following tweet: https://twitter.com/alarm_phone/status/1429444225024892929

~20 people in distress in Malta SAR! Alarmphone was alerted by a boat in distress. The people fled from Libya and report that they are running out of fuel. Taking action to rescue them to a place of safety is needed!

We stayed in contact with the travellers and updated the authorities with their position and situation onboard. At 19.15 CEST the travellers were spotted by the vessel NADIR who sent their Rhib to stand by the travellers. The crew of NADIR provided the travellers with water and life vests, and relayed a MayDay to Malta and Italy. The crew of NADIR waited by the travellers until they were finally rescued by the Italian coastguard. While they were waiting for rescue we tweeted: Sailing boat #Nadir provided first aid to the people and will stay close to the boat in distress until rescue will arrive. We urgently ask authorities to launch a rescue before night!
Credibility: UP DOWN 0
Layers »
  • 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

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