13/11: 13 travelers in distress arrived in Almeria

14.11.2020 / 20:50 / Western Mediterranean

Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 13th November 2020

Case name: 2020_11_13_WM524

Situation: 13 travelers in distress arrived in Almeria

Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded

Place of Incident: Western Mediterranean

Summary

On the 13th of November the Alarmphone was alerted by friends of travelers to a boat in distress carrying 13 people, which had left from Morocco at around midnight. They have been trying to alert the Moroccan authorities, however MRCC Rabat was not picking up the phone. At 21:37h CEST we informed Salvamento Maritimo (SM) about the case, however they quickly ended the call without giving us any information, claiming that it is not their responsibility. Throughout all this time it was not possible to establish contact with the travelers or the Moroccan authorities. On the following day we called SM Almeria, however they haven't found any boat matching our information. Relatives of the travelers reached out to us very concerned since they haven't heard from them yet. MRCC Madrid informed us that they have conducted 20 rescues in the past 24 hours and recommended us to contact the Red Cross to see if one of the cases coincides. In the afternoon of the 14th of November we received a confirmation from relatives of the travelers that they have arrived to Almeria.

Last update: 23:14 Feb 23, 2021

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