18/07: 6 boats: 5 boats rescued by Salvamento Maritimo, 1 returned on its own to Morocco

19.07.2018 / 21:01 / Western Mediterranean Sea

Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 18th of July 2018
Case name: 2018_07_18-WM289
Situation: 5 boats rescued by Salvamento Maritimo, 1 returned on its own to Morocco
Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded
Place of Incident: Western Mediterranean Sea

Summary of the Case: On Tuesday, July 18, The Alarm Phone was alerted to 6 boats at sea. 5 were rescued by Salvamento Maritimo and 1 returned on its own to Morocco.

At 7.43 CEST, a contact person informed The Alarm Phone about a boat with 11 travellers (including 1 woman). The shift team called the boat but all passengers were not in distress. At 8.11, 8.19, and 8.31, the boat sent The Alarm Phone updated positions. The shift team called Salvamento Maritimo to inform them of the boat’s position. The shift team remained in contact with the boat and Salvamento Maritimo to pass on the new position each time the boat sent it. At 11.14, the boat confirmed that they had been rescued and brought to Spain. (Last position: 35.8930880, -5.9502900)

At 8.18 CEST, the shift team received information about a boat. After contacting the boat, it became clear that there were 10 travellers who left Morocco early in the morning. At 9.26, the boat was finally able to send its position. The shift team called Salvamento Maritimo to convey the position and sent them a follow-up email, as they asked not to be called because they had too many cases. Communication with the boat and Salvamento Maritimo continued for several hours. At 14.18, the contact person informed the shift team that the boat had been rescued to Spain (Last position: 35.8205310, -6.0437360)

At 9.57 CEST, the shift team was informed by a contact person about a boat with 11 travellers that had left Morocco early in the morning. Although The Alarm Phone was unable to reach the boat, at 12.07 the contact person informed the shift team that the boat had been rescued and brought to Spain.

At 11.53 CEST, a contact person alerted The Alarm Phone about a boat of 12 persons, including 2 women. At 12.12, the contact person reported that the boat had been rescued and brought to Spain.

At 13.06 CEST, The Alarm Phone received news about a new case of 13 people who had left Morocco early in the morning. The Alarm Phone tried repeatedly but could not get in touch with the boat. At 16.01, we received confirmation that the travellers had returned back to Morocco on their own.

At 15:45 the Alarm Phone was asked about information about boat with 34 people (including 24 men, 9 women, and 1 child). The Alarm Phone afterwards tried but was unable to reach the boat. At 16.12, The Alarm Phone received confirmation from Salvamento Maritimo that the boat had been rescued to Spain.
19/07: 7 boats: 2 rescued by Salvamento Maritimo, 3 intercepted by Marine Royale, 2 returned to Morocco on their own

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