Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 20th of July 2018
Case name: 2018_07_20-WM291
Situation: Alarm Phone alerted to 13 boats between Morocco and Spain.
Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded
Place of Incident: Western Mediterranean Sea

Summary of the Case: On Thursday, July 20, The Alarm Phone was involved in 11 cases between Morocco and Spain. Four of the boats were rescued by the Spanish search and rescue organisation Salvamento Maritimo (SM), three of them were returned by the Moroccan navy, two of them made it back to Morocco on their own, and two boats returned to Morocco, but we were not able to confirm whether they were rescued by the navy or returned by themselves. Apart from the cases we were actively involved in, we were alerted to two more boats, one which was rescued by SM, and one which we were not able to reach or obtain a confirmation from after our initial call.

At 1.29am CEST a contact person informed us about 8 travellers, including one woman, who had left the previous night at 3am local time, forwarding us their position and phone number. We were not able to establish direct contact to the travellers, as their phones had run out of battery. The contact person had already informed the Moroccan rescue authorities, but had the feeling that they did not listen. We tried calling them, but as we couldn't get through we alerted them to the boat by email. We alerted SM as well. At 5.55am the contact person told us that the travellers were back in Morocco and safe. We were not able to verify whether they had been rescued by the Moroccan navy or made it back on their own.

At 5.50am CEST we were alerted by a contact person to a boat with 9 people. Communication with the travellers was a bit difficult, but via the contact person we received their updated positions. At 8.44am we alerted SM to the boat, who had a rescue vessel in the area. At 10.55am the contact person confimed that the travellers had been rescued by SM.

At 6.21am CEST we received a call from a contact person alerting us to a bat with five people. We reached the travellers,. They sent us their position and told us that one person on the boat had been vomiting all night. At 8.44am we informed SM, who told us that they were already operating in the area. At 9.50am SM told us that they had rescued the travellers, and later we reached the travellers who confirmed this.

At 7.36am CEST we received a direct call from a boat, which had left at 2am local time from a beach around Tangier. They sent us their position, From their updated positions we could see that they werre drifting west. At 4.29pm we were informed that the travellers had been intercepted by the Moroccan Navy.

At 7.48am CEST we were alerted by a contact person to a group of 8 people in distress, who had left at 00.27am local time from a beach just south of Tangier. We stayed in contact with the contact person, who updated us on the travellers position, and at 11.41am informed us that the travellers had been rescued by SM.

At 9am CEST we were alerted by a contact person to a group of 11 people, including two women, who had left from Tangier at around 3am local time. The contact person stayed in contact with the travellers, sent us updated positions, and informed us at 1.48pm that the travellers had been rescued by SM.

At 9.30 CEST a contact person informed us about a group of nine travellers who had left from a beach around Tangier at 5am local time. The travellers were not reachable during the whole day, and only in the evening at 9.59pm we learned that they had returned to Morocco by themselves.


At 9.45am CEST we were alerted to a boat with 13 people, including two women and a baby, by a contact person. The travellers had left from a beach around Tangier at 3am local time. We spoke to the travellers who were in urgent distress, and they forwarded us their position. At 12.56 pm we called SM and alerted them to the situation. Afterwards we alerted the Moroccan rescue authorities as well. At 2.46pm we received an updated position, showing that the travellers were still moving. At 5pm the contact person informed us that the travellers had returned to Morocco by themselves.

At 11.11am CEST we were alerted to a group of 48 people, including 12 women and three children who had left from around Nador at around 3am local time. The travellers were in urgent distress, as their engine was no longer working, and water was entering the boat. At 11.36am we reached the travellers, who said that they had already informed the Moroccan rescue authorities, but that they were not sending help. At 11.45am we called SM. They were already aware of the case, and told us that they had contacted the Moroccan authorities several times concerning this boat but did not get the permission to enter Moroccan waters although the Moroccan Navy was not starting a rescue operation yet. When we spoke to the Moroccan rescue authorities, however, they told us that the operation was in progress. At 12.49pm the contact person informed us that the travellers had been rescued by the Moroccan navy.

At 12.58pm CEST we were alerted by a contact person to a group of 18 people, including four women, who had left from south of Tangier at 4am local time on a boat with an engine. The contact person sent us updated positions from the travellers, and we managed to reach the boat ourselves, but the call was interrupted almost immediately. At 4.50pm we were informed that the travellers had been intercepted by the Moroccan navy and were all safe.

At 3.30pm CEST we were informed about a group of 11 travellers, who had left from a beach around Tangier at around 6am local time. We managed to establish contact to the travellers, but communication was difficult. After 4.12pm we lost contact to the travellers. Only the following day at 6.11pm we reached the travellers, who had returned to Morocco.