Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 1st of January 2023

Case name: 2023_01_01-ATL001

Situation: 37 travelers rescued by merchant vessel and handed over to Moroccan authorities

Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded

Place of Incident: Atlantic Ocean

Summary of the Case: On January 1, 2023, concerned relatives contacted the Alarm Phone about a boat in distress with 37 travelers, including 4 women. The travelers had departed from Boujdour and the family members had lost contact with them. They asked that we contact the Spanish search and rescue authority, Salvamento Marítimo. On the phone, SM said they would not perform a rescue because the boat was in the Moroccan SAR zone. The following day, we learned that the boat has been rescued by a merchant vessel (MV), Cubal, and that the travelers have been brought near to Boujdour, where some have refused to disembark. Using Vesselfinder, we can see that the Moroccan authorities, MRCC, have dispatched their own vessel. Alarm Phone continued trying to establish contact with the boat, but was unsuccessful, and could only see that the course of Cubal was somewhat erratic. MRCC Rabat confirmed by phone that ‘some people’ are still on the Cubal, having refused to disembark onto the Moroccan SAR vessel. We continued to receive worried messages from family members, who feared ill treatment aboard the MV, which now could be seen heading towards Dahkla. After 1:00AM on January 4th, MRCC Rabat confirmed to Alarm Phone that all travelers had disembarked onto the Moroccan SAR vessel and were heading to Dakhla.