21/09: 54 travelers at the Atlantic Ocean, BOZA at Fuerteventura

21.09.2022 / 15:19 / Atlantic Ocean

Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 20th of September 2022

Case name: 2022_09_20-ATL-108

Situation: 54 travelers in distress at the Atlantic Ocean, arrived autonomously at Fuerteventura

Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded

Place of Incident: Atlantic Ocean

Summary of the Case:
On Tuesday the 20th of September 2022, in the evening the Alarm Phone shift team was alerted by a relative to a group of 54 travelers, including 12 women and 2 children, in distress in the Atlantic Ocean. The travelers had left from Laayoune, Morocco the late evening the day before (22:00 CEST 19th September) heading towards the Canary Islands. We were not able to establish a direct contact to the people on boat and the relative was not able to reach them after 7:00 CEST this morning. In the late evening we relayed all the information we had to the Spanish search and rescue organization Salvamento Maritimo via E-Mail and phone call. During the night we constantly tried to reach the travelers. In the next day’s morning we received information talking about a boat with 54 people, including 12 women nd two children which arrived autonomous at Fuerteventura. Fortunately the relative was able to confirm that information.

Last update: 11:20 Sep 07, 2023

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