30/01: 60 people in distress in the Atlantic Ocean, rescued to Fuerteventura

31.01.2023 / 10:48 / Atlantic

Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 30th of January 2023

Case name: 2023_01_30-ATL005

Situation: 60 people in distress in the Atlantic Ocean, rescued by Salvamento Maritimo to Fuerteventura

Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded

Place of Incident: Atlantic Ocean

Summary of the Case: In the evening of Monday the 30th of January 2023 the Alarm Phone shift team was alerted by a relative to a group of 60 travelers, including 7 women and 4 children in distress in the Atlantic Ocean. The relative informed us about a second boat traveling near the first one. We decided to open another case for the second boat. The travelers on that boat had left from Boujdour, Morocco at 5 o’clock local time that same morning. We were able to establish a direct contact to the travelers and they forwarded us their current GPS position, then the connection got very bad and the line got cut.

We relayed all the information we had to the Spanish Search and Rescue organization Salvamento Maritimo via E-Mail. When calling Salvamento Maritimo around midnight they had localized the two boats and launched a rescue mission. We were not able to reach the travelers of this group again. We informed the relative about the current situation. Around 2 o’clock we called Salvamento Maritimo again to ask about the estimated time of arrival of the rescue vessels. They confirmed that they will arrive soon. Also on vessel finder we could locate a rescue vessel “Salvamar Nizar” heading to the direction of the last received position of the travelers.

The next morning at 7 o’clock we saw on vessel finder that the rescue vessel “Salvamar Nizar” was close to Fuerteventura. Later on in the morning we called Salvamento Maritimo who confirmed the successful rescue of two boats, but would not give us further information. Therefore we called other Spanish authorities who confirmed the rescue of 116 people on two boats, matching nationalities with the travelers we were in contact with, to Fuerteventura.
Last update: 12:21 Dec 20, 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