19/07: 63 people left Tarfaya towards the Canary Islands, fate unclear

20.07.2020 / 19:43 / Western Mediterranean

Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 19th of July 2020

Case name: 2020_07_19-WM470
Situation: 63 travellers lost on their way to the Canary Islands
Status of WTM Investigation: fate unclear
Place of Incident: Western Mediterranean

Summary of the Case:
On 19th of July at 9:20 pm CEST the Alarm Phone was informed about a boat that left Tarfaya, Morocco, in the night of July 18th at 4 am CEST. Onboard were 63 people including 20 women and 2 children heading towards the Canary Islands. We tried to phone the people but their phones were off. At 10.20 pm we informed Salvamento Maritimo (SM) by phone and email and they told us they would launch a rescue operation. In the following days there was a constant communication with SM and with Guardia Civil, who confirmed to be still searching for the boat. We continuously tried to reach the travellers without success. We also phoned Marine Royal in Morroco who stated to don’t know about 63 people coming back to Morocco. We tweeted several times about the case. The situation was difficult due to the departure of several boats at the same time from Morocco at the end of the lock down. Salvamento Maritimo was busy to rescue many boats and Alarm Phone tried hard to identify the three different cases we were alerted to and others we didn’t know at all. Unfortunately, these 63 people were not among the rescued ones. SM kept confirming to continue searching for the boat. On the 25th of July Alarm Phone lost track of the case due to many other cases. On 2nd of August Guardia Civil were called and they said they had been looking for the boat until that day and are sure it has not been rescued to Spain. Therefore we have to assume this boat shipwrecked and the fate of the 63 travellers remains unclear.
Last update: 13:28 Oct 23, 2020
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