Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 12th of June 2016

Case name: 2016_06_12-CM64
Situation: Alarm Phone alerted to 4 emergency situations in the Central Mediterranean Sea
Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded
Place of Incident: Central Mediterranean Sea

Summary of the Cases: On Sunday the 12th of June 2016, the Alarm Phone dealt with 4 emergency situations in the Central Mediterranean Sea. We received direct calls from 4 different satellite phones, alerting us to 4 vessels that had left from Northern Africa, from Libya as well as Egypt. We were able to re-charge the 4 satellite phones so that the travellers could continue making distress calls.

Boat 1 with about 133 people on board was rescued by MSF’s Dignity I rescue vessel but unfortunately one of the travellers had passed away (case 1). Boat 2 with about 125 people on board was located very close to the Libyan coast with a malfunctioning engine and eventually the people were rescued by a cargo vessel and returned to Libya. Boat 3 with about 130 people on board was rescued by the Italian coastguard and boat 4 was rescued by merchant vessels and Frontex forces and brought to Italy.

Case 1: At 5.33am we received a direct call from a Thuraya satellite phone. The connection was problematic and all we could here that they were about 140 people and had left 7 hours earlier. Then the line got interrupted and until about 45 minutes later we were unable to re-establish communications. We re-charged their satellite phone and despite not having exact coordinates, we passed on the information we had to the Italian coastguards at 6.12am. At about 6.15am, the boat-people called again and tried, unsuccessfully, to pass on their GPS position. At 6.39am, they were able to send us their GPS position which we forwarded to the Italian coastguard at 6.44am. For several hours afterwards, we could not re-establish contact to the boat. We were then informed that MSF’s rescue vessel Dignity I was on its way to the boat-people. At 2.53pm MRCC Rome confirmed that the group had been rescued by Dignity I, 133 people were rescued but help came too late for one person, who had died.

Case 2: At 6.35am, we were called from a satellite phone. The people on the other side were asking for help, informing us that they had children on board. They agreed to find their GPS position and pass it on to us. At 6.45am they tried to reach us again but the line was interrupted. At 6.59am, the Italian coastguards put us on hold and then ended the call. In the following hours we were unable to reconnect to the boat-people. At 10.02am we finally received their GPS coordinates which we passed on at 10.05am to MRCC Rome. At 11.46am, in another exchange with the Italian coastguard they stated that they had slightly different coordinates. Shortly afterwards we received the correct coordinates, showing them still deep in Libyan waters. In another distress call from the boat it was clear that the travellers were getting increasingly anxious. Then they saw a white boat approaching them. Afterwards we were not able to speak to the travellers again. At 2.54pm MRCC Rome confirmed that they had been rescued by a merchant vessel and were being returned to Libya. The Libyan coastguard had coordinated the operation.

Case 3: At 6.15am we received a direct call from a Thuraya satellite phone from a boat carrying about 130 people but communication was not possible. We recharged their phone as they had run out of credit. In an exchange with MRCC Rome they confirmed to work on the case. We received a GPS position from Father Mussie Zerai. For several hours we tried repeatedly to contact the boat-people, without success. At 11.46am, MRCC Rome confirmed that they had found and rescued the people and everyone was safe.

Case 4: At 9.48am we received a call from another Thuraya satellite phone but the connection is again not good so that communications fail. At 9.54am we reconnected with them but they were unable to tell us when they had left. They were about 300 people. We recharged their satellite phone and at 10.30am we were able to speak to them again. They managed to pass on their GPS coordinates and also informed us that they had already been at sea for 4 days. People on board were sick and they had run out of drinking water. At 10.32am we passed all of these information on to MRCC Rome. At 11.46am, MRCC Rome confirmed that a Frontex vessel named Segura was on its way and that they would also inform a merchant vessel in the vicinity of the boat-people. At 12.20pm we informed the boat-people about the launched rescue operation and advised them to stay calm when being approached by a rescue vessel. At 1.33pm the boat-people reported that they had seen an airplane above them which had taken pictures. At 1.35pm they forwarded updated GPS coordinates which we passed on to MRCC Rome at 1.40pm. in that phone call the Italian authorities confirmed that they had sent out a helicopter. They were expecting rescue forces to arrive one hour later. We charge the satellite phone again and at 2.46pm the boat-people confirm that they can see two vessels approaching them. At 5.46pm, MRCC Rome confirmed that the rescue operation had been launched.