06/07: Alarm Phone alerted to two boats in distress in Central Med; one rescued to Italy, one returned to Libya

Verified

  In Distress

07.07.2016 / 12:04 / Central Mediterranean Sea

Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 06th of July 2016

Case name: 2016_07_06-CM68
Situation: Alarm Phone alerted to two boats in distress in Central Med; one rescued to Italy, one returned to Libya itself
Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded
Place of Incident: Central Mediterranean Sea

Summary of the Cases: On Wednesday, the 6th of July 2016 at 9.23am, the Alarm Phone was informed about two boats in distress in the Central Mediterranean Sea by Father Mussie Zerai. We checked and charged their satellite phones’ credit several times and sent SMS to their phones, in order to receive their GPS positions. However, we were not able to establish direct contact to them and did not receive an answer to our SMS. At 11am, we called the Italian coastguards MRCC and learned that they were already aware of both boats. At 4.20pm, the MRCC informed us that the travellers of one of the boats had returned to Libya by themselves and that the second boat had been rescued by the Italian coastguard.
Last update: 16:29 Aug 26, 2016
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

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