26/04: 8 travellers in distress in the Western Med, fate unknown

27.04.2023 / 20:40 / Western Mediterranean

Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 26th April 2023

Case name: 2022_04_26 WM020

Situation: Eight travellers in distress in the Western Med, their fate remains unknown.

Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded

Place of Incident: Western Mediterranean Sea

Summary of the case: On Wednesday the 26th of April 2023, the Alarm Phone shift team was alerted by a relative to a group of eight travellers, all men, in distress in the Western Mediterranean Sea. The travellers had left from Oran the Monday evening on a black rubber boat. We were not able to establish direct contact to the travellers, but immediately alerted the Spanish search and rescue organisation Salvamento Maritimo, relaying all the information we had. During the day we remained in contact with Salvamento, who confirmed that they were searching for the boat, including with aircrafts. In the meantime, neither we nor the relatives were able to reach the boat. After many days of being in contact with relatives and Salvamento Maritimo, we were not able to establish whether the travellers had arrived to land. The phone number we had of the boat never became available. We very much hope they made it to shore, or were rescued. However, we fear their disappearance. Our thoughts are with the relatives, left in limbo while waiting for news of their loved ones.

Tweets about the case: https://twitter.com/alarm_phone/status/1651154767178002433?s=01

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