23/08: Alarm Phone alerted to a missing boat, and people stranded on an island, both in the Aegean

24.08.2018 / 22:34 / Aegean Sea

Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 23rd of August 2018
Case name: 2018_08_23-AEG416
Situation: Alarm Phone informed of 22 people stranded on Nera island and asked for information about a missing boat
Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded
Place of Incident: Aegean Sea

Summary of the Case: On Thursday the 23rd of August at 4.45am, the Alarm Phone shift team was alerted to a group of 22 people, including 6 women and 7 children, who were trapped on the island of Nera, close to Agathonisi island. At 4:55am we informed the Greek coast guard and at 5:56am we received confirmation that everyone had been safely rescued and all were in a healthy condition.

At 5:10am we were contacted for another case and asked for information about a missing boat carrying 33 people. We called the Greek coast guard at 5:15am, provided them with the little information which we had, and they told us they would investigate the case to try and prepare a rescue operation.
At 5:46am the Greek coast guard infomed us (in response to our earlier email to them) that the boat appeared to be in Turkish water and we should inform the Turkish coast guard, however at 6:10am the Greek coast guard told us that they would investigate with a helipcopter and boat because it appeared that they were uncertain as to whether the boat was definitely in Turkish waters or not, but they again instructed us to inform the Turkish coast guard.

We then tried calling 5 different Turkish coast guard numbers but only reached answering machines. At 6:32am we recieved a return call from the Turkish coast guard and we gave them the information we had.

Over the next few hours we were in regular contact with the Greek coast guard, but unable to provide them with new information as the number on the boat remained unreachable.

We spoke with the Turkish coast guard at 11:25am, who informed us that despite having searched for the boat, they had not found it and also had no news about a boat with 33 people.

At 1:13pm we recieved confirmation from a contact person that the boat had arrived safely on Lesvos island.
Last update: 20:08 Sep 26, 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