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  • 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
 
Histogram
  • About

    Watch the Mediterranean Sea is an online mapping platform to monitor the deaths and violations of migrants' rights at the maritime borders of the EU

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  • WatchTheMed Alarm Phone Reports

    Date 2023-07-31 / Category: In Distress /

    30/07: Boat intercepted off Casablanca

    Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 30th July 2023 Case name: 2023_07_30-ATL048 Situation: Boat from Casablanca intercepted by the Moroccan navy and returned to Morocco. Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded Place of Incident: Atlantic Summary of... more>
    Date 2023-07-29 / Category: In Distress /

    28/07: 5 travellers intercepted in the Alboran Sea

    Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 28th July 2023 Case name: 2023_07_28-WM047 Situation: Five travellers in distress in the Alboran Sea, intercepted to Morocco. Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded Place of Incident: Western Mediterranean Sea Summary... more>
    Date 2023-07-16 / Category: In Distress /

    15/07: 6 travellers arrived to Spain by themselves

    Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 15th July 2023 Case name: 2023_07_15WM046 Situation: Six travellers in distress in the Alboran Sea, arrived to Spain by themselves. Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded Place of Incident: Western Mediterranean Sea... more>
    Date 2023-07-15 / Category: In Distress /

    14/07: 21 travellers rescued in the Alboran Sea

    Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 14th of July 2023 Case name: 2023_07_14-WM045 Situation: 21 travellers in distress in the Alboran Sea, rescued and brought to Spain. Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded Place of Incident: Western Mediterranean... more>
  • Investigations

    Date 2023-02-27 / Category: In Distress /

    26/02: 47 travellers pulled back by the Moroccan navy in the Atlantic

    Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 26th February 2023 Case name: 2022_02_26ATL017 Situation: 47 travellers in distress in the Altantic Ocean, pulled back by the Moroccan navy after having been... more>
    Date 2023-02-11 / Category: In Distress /

    8/12/22-25/01/23: 48 days back and forth at the Turkish-Greek land border

    Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 8/12/22 - 25/01/23 Case name: 2022_12_08- Eastern Med - 1082 Situation: 48 days Back and forth at the Turkish-Greek land border Status of WTM Investigation:... more>
    Date 2020-10-17 / Category: In Distress /

    16/10: 6 people stranded in Greece after crossing the landborder, fate unclear

    Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 16th of October 2020 Case name: 2019_10_16-AEG714 Situation: 6 people stranded near the Greek-Turkish land border, fate unclear. Status of WTM Investigation:... more>
    Date 2020-10-16 / Category: In Distress /

    15/10: 16 people pushed back from the Evros river

    Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 15th of October 2020 Case name: 2019_10_15-AEG713 Situation: 16 people on an island on the Greek side of the Evros river pushed back to Turkey Status of WTM... more>
    Date 2013-10-11 / Category: In Distress /

    Over 200 die after shooting by Libyan vessel and delay in rescue

    On the 11 October 2013, a boat carrying over 400 people sank after being shot by a Libyan vessel. Despite the rescue operation led by Maltese and Italian assets that saved 212 people, it is believed that... more>
    Date 2011-04-10 / Category: In Distress /

    Left-to-die boat

    The migrants’ vessel left the Port of Tripoli between 00:00 and 02:00 GMT on 27 March 2011 with 72 migrants on board. The vessel was sighted by a French aircraft which transmitted its coordinates to Rome... more>