20/11: 6 boats in distress near Lesvos, Farmakonisi, Chios and Samos; 2 groups stranded on Nisida Pasas, all saved

21.11.2015 / 12:17 / Aegean Sea

Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 20th of November 2015

Case name: 2015_11_20-AEG135
Situation: Alarm Phone alerted to 6 boats in distress near Lesvos, Farmakonisi, Chios, Samos and 2 groups stranded on Nisida Pasas, all saved
Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded
Place of Incident: Aegean Sea

Summary of the Cases: On Friday the 20th of November 2015 the Alarm Phone was alerted to 6 boats in distress near the Greek islands of Lesvos, Farmakonisi, Chios and Samos. All groups of travellers were rescued afterwards. 5 groups finally arrived in Greece while the Turkish coastguard rescued one group, who had been beforehand attacked by a group of masked men, most probably belonging to the coastguard, who took away their engine. Beyond that, two groups who had stranded on the Greek island of Nisida Pasas were picked up after the Alarm Phone had alerted the port authorities on the Greek island of Chios.

At about midnight on Friday the 20th of November 2015 the Alarm Phone received a direct call from a group of 22 travellers who had stranded on the tiny Greek island of Nisida Pasas (case 1). We alerted the port authorities on the island of Chios via phone and mail at 0.15am and urged them to pick up the group. Beyond that, we called the travellers again and asked them to also call the emergency hotline 112. At 0.50am they told us that the local police had called them and had promised to rescue them from the island. At 2am we talked to the police on Chios again and were told that they would not start to rescue the group before the next morning. Thus we called the travellers again and guided them to a little church on the island, were they found shelter for the night. At 5.12am they sent us their latest position and eventually, at 6.40am, they called us again and told us that the police had arrived in order to pick them up. They were fine and thanked us for our support.

At 1.30am we were alerted via Facebook to a boat in distress close to the north-eastern shore of the Greek island of Lesvos (case 2). Unfortunately we were not able to reach the travellers on their phone, but at 2.10am they confirmed to us that they had safely arrived on Lesvos.

At 2.30am a contact person informed us about a boat in distress between the Turkish coast and the Greek island of Farmakonisi, whose engine had apparently been taken away by masked man, who could have been members of the Greek coastguard (case 3). There were 40 people on the boat, including 5 children, and their boat had begun to sink. We alerted the Turkish coastguard immediately afterwards, who were already aware of this boat and promised to rescue it. Afterwards, we were not able to talk to the travellers again, but at 7am they called our contact person and confirmed to him that the Turkish coastguard had rescued them.

At 4.45am we received a direct call from another group who had stranded on the Greek island of Nisida Pasas, close to Chios (case 4). We asked them to call 112 and told them that they probably have to wait until the next morning, as the police had already told us with respect to case 1. At 5am we informed the port authorities on Chios that there were 40 additional people on the island, in need of being picked up. Eventually, at 6.46am, the travellers confirmed to us that they had been picked up and that they were safe.

At 7.45am a contact person forwarded the phone number and coordinates of a boat in distress to us (case 5). On their way to the Greek island of Lesvos their engine had stopped, but had started again afterwards. In the afternoon our contact person informed us that the group had safely arrived on Lesvos.

At 8am a contact person called us and provided us with a phone number and coordinates of a boat in distress on its way to the Greek island of Chios (case 6). Because we were not able to talk directly to the travellers, we provided them with the number of the Greek coastguard via WhatsApp and also urged them to call 112. Beyond that, we informed the Greek coastguard, who had already received the position of the boat in distress. They promised to send a rescue vessel to this position. At 10am the coastguard told us that they have saved 61 people at this position. Finally, at 1.45pm, our contact person confirmed as well that the travellers had been rescued and that they had arrived on Chios.

At 9am another contact person forwarded to us the coordinates of a boat in distress east of the Greek island of Samos (case 7). Because the position was already two hours old, the Greek coastguard had refrained to take them, however, at 9.25am we learned from our contact person that the Greek coastguard had found the boat in distress and had saved it. At 10am also the travellers themselves confirmed to us that they had been rescued.

In the evening of that day, at 7pm, an activist called us from Lesvos and informed us about a boat out of a group of three boats, which had run out of fuel on their way from Berham/Turkey to the northern shore of Lesvos. We forwarded the emergency number of the Greek coastguard on Lesvos to the activist, but as she had told us that local boats had already started to search for the boat in distress, we did not call the coastguard directly. At 9.50pm we learned that the activists had alerted the coastguard themselves.
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