08/02: 58 people in distress in the Atlantic Ocean, arrived to a Canary Island

09.02.2023 / 19:02 / Atlantic Ocean

Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 08th of February 2023

Case name: 2023_02_08 - ATL - 012

Situation: 58 people in distress in the Atlantic Ocean, arrived to a Canary Island, probably Las PalmasStatus of WTM

Investigation: Concluded

Place of Incident: Atlantic Ocean

Summary of the Case:
In the morning of Wednesday the 8th of February the Alarm Phone shift team was alerted by a relative to a group of 58 travelers, including 26 women and 5, in distress in the Atlantic Ocean. The travelers had left from Dakhla, West Sahara at 04:00 CET three nights before (5th of February). We were not able to establish a direct contact to the travelers. We relayed all the information we had to the Spanish Search and Rescue organization Salvamento Maritimo via phone call. The officer said that someone called them soon before, saying that they are 15 km from Las Palmas. Salvamento Maritimo confirmed to launch a rescue operation. When we called again two hours later Salvamento Maritimo told us they cannot share any information with us. Therefore we included this group of travelers in a tweet about several boats in distress in the Atlantic Ocean: https://twitter.com/alarm_phone/status/1623246951364849664
In the afternoon we were able to reach the relative again, who confirmed the rescue of the travelers. Unfortunately the line broke before we learned where to they were rescued.

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