12/05: Two travellers rescued by Salvamento Maritimo to Gran Canaria

13.05.2023 / 17:34 / Atlantic Ocean

Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 12th of May 2023

Case name: 2023_05_12-ATL025

Situation: Two travellers in distress in the Atlantic Ocean, rescued by helicopter by Salvamento Maritimo and brought to Gran Canaria.

Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded

Place of Incident: Atlantic Ocean

Summary of the case: On Friday the 12th of May 2023, the Alarm Phone shift team was alerted by a relative to two travellers in distress in the Atlantic Ocean. The travellers had left from Laayoune, heading towards the Canary Islands. According to the relative, the travellers were in urgent distress and had had an accident. In addition, the weather conditions in the area were very bad. We were not immediately able to establish direct contact to the boat, but got their GPS position from the relative. We immediately alerted the Spanish search and rescue organisation Salvamento Maritimo, relaying all the information we had. They soon after confirmed that they were searching for the travellers. At 11.39 CEST we managed to reach the travellers, but due to strong wind and poor connection, we were not able to obtain much information. At 12.03 CEST we reached the travellers again, and could hear that they were panicking, saying that they would die. Online, we could see a merchant vessel close to the last position we received from the travellers. Salvamento Maritimo confirmed to us on the phone that the vessel had been ordered to go there to support until a rescue vessel from Salvamento could arrive. In the afternoon we learned that the two people had been found by the merchant vessel and then rescued by a helicopter from Salvamento Maritimo and transferred to Gran Canaria.

Tweets about this case: https://twitter.com/alarm_phone/status/1656985966572191744?t=rUWKFm7gMUgpx2fJXgwyFA&s=19https://twitter.com/alarm_phone/status/1657045299171414021?t=m-WoC84GwLxllIHepxEjHQ&s=19

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