30/10: 2 boats, 39 people were rescued to Leros, and 60 people were rescued to Samos

31.10.2018 / 09:55 / Aegean Sea

Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 30th of October 2018
Case name: 2018_10_30-AEG451
Situation: 2 boats rescued by the Greek coast guard, one brought to Leros, one brought to Samos
Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded
Place of Incident: Aegean Sea

Summary of the Case: In the early hours of Tuesday the 30th of October our shift team was alerted to a boat on its way to Farmakonisi. The people on board were rescued by the Greek coast guard and brought to Leros. A few hours later were were alerted to another, very overcrowded boat between Chios and Samos. We were unable to establish direct contact with the boat, but it was rescued by the Greek coast guard and taken to Chios.
At 2.15am CET the Alarmphone shift team were alerted to a boat in distress carrying 39 people, including 14 children. From the GPS position we were provided, we saw that the boat was in Greek waters and travelling in the direction of Farmakonisi. At 2.36am we contacted the Greek coast guard and provided them with our most recent GPS coordinates of the boat. At 2:59am we received news from the contact person the that boat had been rescued by the Greek coast guard.
At 5:21am we were alerted to a boat carrying 60 people which was in a critical situation. From the GPS coordinates which were provided to us we were unclear as to whether the boat was in Turkish waters or not. After trying and failing to make contact with the boat, we contacted the Greek coast guard at 5:41am. At 6am we observed a suspected Frontex vessel heading towards the last known position of the boat, and at 6:31am we saw the vessel slow down, almost stopping, close to the position of the boat. At 6:48am the Greek coast guard contacted us telling us that they had found a boat. We later received confirmation that all 60 travellers had been rescued to Chios.
Last update: 23:17 Nov 18, 2018
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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