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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
Kilometers Nautical Miles
200 km
200 mi
Scale = 1 : 14M
18/07: 27 travellers rescued by the Maltese coastguard
19.07.2024 / 21:59 / Central Mediterranean
Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations 18th July 2024
Case name: 2024_07_18-CM233
Situation: 27 travellers in distress in the Central Med, rescued by the Maltese coastguard.
Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded
Place of Incident: Central Mediterranean
Summary of the case: On Thursday the 18th of July 2024, the Alarm Phone shift team was alerted to a group of 27 travellers, including 11 children and three pregnant women, in distress in the Central Mediterranean Sea. The travellers had left from Az-Zawiya three days earlier. They told us that they were adrift as they had no more fuel left and that people were sick and exhausted. We managed to get their GPS position and immediately alerted the relevant search and rescue authorities, relaying all the information we had. We stayed in contact with the travellers and forwarded updates from the boat to the authorities as often as possible. As time passed, we could hear that the situation was deteriorating as more and more water was entering the boat and the condition of the pregnant women became critical while one child lost consciousness. We could hear on the phone that their panic was increasing. Later, we learned that the travellers had been rescued by the Maltese coastguard.
Case name: 2024_07_18-CM233
Situation: 27 travellers in distress in the Central Med, rescued by the Maltese coastguard.
Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded
Place of Incident: Central Mediterranean
Summary of the case: On Thursday the 18th of July 2024, the Alarm Phone shift team was alerted to a group of 27 travellers, including 11 children and three pregnant women, in distress in the Central Mediterranean Sea. The travellers had left from Az-Zawiya three days earlier. They told us that they were adrift as they had no more fuel left and that people were sick and exhausted. We managed to get their GPS position and immediately alerted the relevant search and rescue authorities, relaying all the information we had. We stayed in contact with the travellers and forwarded updates from the boat to the authorities as often as possible. As time passed, we could hear that the situation was deteriorating as more and more water was entering the boat and the condition of the pregnant women became critical while one child lost consciousness. We could hear on the phone that their panic was increasing. Later, we learned that the travellers had been rescued by the Maltese coastguard.
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