26/07: Around 100 travellers in distress southeast of Kaparthos, rescued to Greece

27.07.2022 / 16:22 / Eastern Med

Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 26th of July 2022

Case name: 2022_07_26 - Eastern Med - 943

Situation: Around 100 travellers in distress southeast of Kaparthos, rescued to Greece

Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded

Place of Incident: Eastern Med

Summary of the Case: On 26 July at 17:45 CEST we received a call by a relative to a boat in distress. A few minutes later we were able to establish direct contact with the boat. They were more than 80 travellers, including many children and reported seeing the oil tanker "Junior G” at the time we received the alert.

At 18:05 CEST we informed Greek authorities by email and called the Hellenic Coast Guard (HCG). At 20:00 CEST we sent an updated email as people reported the situation to be worsening. Water was entering the boat. We sent another update at 21:15 CEST as there was still no sign of rescue. We got also in touch with different Merchant vessels in the area.

Around 00:30 CEST the Hellenic Coast Guard informed us that they were with two patrol boats on the spot. They reported difficulties with the rescue due to the bad weather conditions. We stayed in contact to the people who reported high waves. Around 02:00 CEST the contact to them broke.

We later learned from media reports that the Coast Guard of Karpathos had found the 100 travellers. They were aboard a yacht and were spotted at sea in the area southeast of Karpathos. They were rescued. According to initial information, all 100 people were in good health and expected to be transferred either to the port of Leros or the port of Rhodes. We could later observe that the merchant vessel STAR DOARDO brought the people to the island of Leros.

In a press-release, HCG later stated they rescued 101 people in the sea area 75 Nautical Miles southeast of Karpathos on 28-07-2022. They also reported that they are investigating against four people to have “participated in a structured criminal organization with distinct roles for the trafficking of foreigners on board the vessel”.

Other media reported, that five people were arrested and faced charges for smuggling „nearly 100 migrants into Europe on an unsafe vessel“. It was reported that the boat initially left from Lebanon.

We could not manage to reestablish contact to the travellers after their rescue.

Twitter:
https://twitter.com/alarm_phone/status/1552240990181855232

Media:
https://www.ertnews.gr/eidiseis/ellada/karpathos-entopismos-kai-diasosi-100-allodapon/

https://www.mynews.gr/nayagio-me-metanastes-stin-karpatho-diasothikan-102-anthropoi/

https://apnews.com/article/middle-east-lebanon-arrests-greece-0f7cf0a7638a144c7fe6edd100e15116

Press-release by HCG:
https://www.hcg.gr/el/epikairothta/synexeia-enhmerwshs-anaforika-me-thn-epixeirhsh-ereynas-kai-diaswshs-allodapwn-sth-8alassia-perioxh-notioanatolika-n-karpa8oy-thn-28-07-2022-syllhpseis-triwn-hmedapwn-gia-narkwtika-sth-samo8rakh-traymatismos-allodapoy-sth-skopelo/

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