Vessel in distress in the Central Med, rescue can be presumed

27.08.2015 / 12:20 / Central Mediterranean Sea

Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigation – 26th of August 2015

Case name: 2015_08_26-CM42
Situation: Vessel in distress in Central Med, rescue presumed
Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded
Place of Incident: Central Mediterranean Sea

Summary of the Case:: On Wednesday the 26th of August 2015, the Alarm Phone was called directly from a vessel in the Central Mediterranean Sea. However, communication with the travellers was nearly impossible as only background noises and hardly any voices could be heard. We passed the limited information that we had gathered on to the Italian Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Rome. When we spoke to MRCC Rome they confirmed that they had received the satellite phone number and were in the process of conducting a rescue operation. In a conversation with MRCC Rome later on, they did not want to provide an update on the case. While no final confirmation can be obtained, their rescue can be presumed.

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