20/05/2024: 33 people in distress near Crete, Greece, probably rescued to Crete

21.05.2024 / 16:00 / Eastern Med

Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 20th of May 2024
Case name: 2024_05_20-Eastern Med - 214
Situation: 20/05/2024: 33 people in distress near Crete, Greece, probably rescued to Crete
Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded
Place of Incident: Eastern Med

Summary of the Case:
At 13:54 CEST on May 20th, we alerted the Hellenic Coast Guard to a boat carrying 33 people in distress near Crete. The people told us that water was entering the boat and that the motor was no longer working. They said that they could see the island of Crete already and were urgently asking for help. Shortly after, the people confirmed that the Hellenic Coast Guard had reached them and that they were ok. We tweeted about the development: https://twitter.com/alarm_phone/status/1792528308271288363
However, the Hellenic Coast Guard told us that they did not find the people. At the same time, they informed us that a boat with 33 people was found not far away from the location of this distress case by the so-called Libyan coast guard. At the same time, there was some confusion, as the people directly informed us that they were on land and were well. Despite our best efforts, we could not clarify the details of the situation and closed the case, as it seemed the distress situation was at least solved. We tweeted again: https://twitter.com/alarm_phone/status/1792599277660721340

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