18/10: 45 travellers rescued to Las Palmas

19.10.2022 / 17:26 / Atlantic

Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 18th October 2022

Case name: 2022_10_18-ATL125

Situation: 45 travellers in distress in the Atlantic Ocean for eight days, rescued by Salvamento Maritimo and brought to Las Palmas.

Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded

Place of Incident: Atlantic Ocean

Summary of the case: On Tuesday the 18th of October 2022, the Alarm Phone shift team was alerted by a relative to a group of 45 travellers, including four women of whom one was pregnant, in distress in the Atlantic Ocean. The travellers had left from Boujdour on a grey rubber boat, heading towards the Canary Islands. According to the relative, the travellers had been at sea for eight days. The relative told us that the travellers had had nothing to eat and drink for three days and that the pregnant person was ill. We were not able to reach the travellers, but through the relative we managed to get their GPS position. We immediately alerted the Spanish search and rescue organisation Salvamento Maritimo to the distress situation, relaying all the information we had. Salvamento Maritimo soon after informed us that a merchant vessel had been ordered to proceed to the travellers’ boat and stand by until the rescue vessel would arrive. At 15.43 CEST we finally managed to reach the travellers who told us that they could see the merchant vessel approaching. We explained them that rescue was on its way, but that they would have to wait a little longer. At 20.40 CEST Salvamento Maritimo confirmed that they had completed the rescue operation and that the travellers would be brought to Las Palmas.

Tweets about the case: https://twitter.com/alarm_phone/status/1582445622275493888
Last update: 08:37 Nov 05, 2023
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