30/03 : Boat in distress in greek waters, drifting and later picked up by Turkish Coast Guards

31.03.2020 / 15:48 / Aegean Sea

Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 30 march 2020
Case name: 2020_03_30-AEG666
Situation: 25 travellers in distress in greek territorial waters, rescued by Turkish Coast Guards
Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded
Place of Incident: Aegean sea

Summary of the Case:
The 30th of march 2020 in the morning, a relative sent us an alert about a boat carrying about 20 persons in Aegean sea. The engine didn't work anymore and the travellers needed help. Their GPS position showed them in greek territorial waters. Our shiftteam managed to speak to a person onboard who confirmed they were about 25 persons and about 10 children. He said the wheater was worsening and the engine stopped. He sent us another GPS position, which then showed them in turkish waters. They have been drifting. The boat began to loose air and the travellers feared for their lives. One hour after the first call, the relative contacted us back to tell us the travellers have been rescued by the Turkish Coast Guards, which was confirmed some minutes laters by the people on board themselves.

Last update: 14:39 Oct 23, 2020

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