- Joint communiqué from Alarm Phone, Mediterranea SavingHumans and Sea-Watch -
Photo credits: Christian Gohdes - Sea-Watch Airborne
On Saturday 11 March, just two weeks after 100 people died in a shipwreck off the coast of Italy, the Italian and Maltese authorities once again abandoned people at sea. This time their policy of not helping and waiting too long for the so-called Libyan coastguard to intervene resulted in the deaths of 30 people. The drifting boat, with 47 people on board, was in distress in international waters within Libya's disputed Search and Rescue (SAR) zone. Of the 47 people on board, only 17 survived thanks to the intervention of a merchant vessel. The 30 people who died could have been saved if the Italian and Maltese authorities had coordinated a rescue operation in time.
These deaths are not the result of an accident, but of deliberate political decisions. The Italian and Maltese authorities could have intervened immediately; instead they chose to wait too long and identified the so-called Libyan coastguard as the responsible and 'competent' authority, thus wasting the time needed to rescue all those who risked their lives at sea.
On the night of Friday to Saturday 11 March at 2.28 a.m. CET, Alarm Phone informed the Italian, Maltese and Libyan authorities of the emergency (see chronology below). The tanker 'AMAX AVENUE' and subsequently the merchant vessel 'GAMMA STAR' were in the vicinity of the vessel in distress but continued their course without providing assistance. Several hours later, another merchant vessel, the BASILIS L, finally approached the position of the vessel in distress. While waiting for a better-equipped vessel to come to the rescue, the merchant vessel monitored the vessel in distress. Meanwhile, the Italian and Maltese authorities decided to wait in vain for the so-called Libyan coastguard to send its patrol boats to illegally return the shipwrecked to Libya.
Despite the extremely critical sea conditions and the desperate state of the vessel, neither the Italian MRCC, the Maltese RCC nor the Libyan JRCC mobilised their resources for a rescue operation for more than 30 hours after the first alarm was raised by the distress alert telephone. They did not immediately co-ordinate a rescue using merchant vessels in the area, even though the Rome MRCC had co-ordinated several such operations outside its SAR area [1] Moreover, the shipwreck occurred in international waters, outside Libyan territorial waters. The boat in distress was in the area of operation of the EUNAVFORMED IRINI mission and the Italian 'Mare Sicuro' mission, with Italian and European military vessels in constant presence, but they did not intervene to rescue the boat in distress.
None of these actors responded to the distress call sent by Sea-Watch's Seabird 2 reconnaissance aircraft, nor were they involved in rescue operations by the well-informed Italian or Maltese RCCs. After hours of futile waiting, the Italian authorities, who habitually obstruct NGO rescue operations, instead delegated this difficult task to merchant vessels not equipped for this type of operation.
Delaying rescues and delegating them to merchant ships not equipped for sea rescue is part of a political strategy that ends up handing people over to Libyan militias or abandoning them at sea. The primary responsibility for the disappearance of these 30 people, as well as for all those who have died or gone missing at Europe's maritime borders, lies with Italy, Malta and all EU member states, as well as the EU institutions.
As Alarm Phone, Mediterranea Saving Humans and Sea-Watch, we denounce the policy of externalisation of the borders of the European Member States, especially Italy and Malta, and the delegation of policing tasks to Libya. These were among the structural causes that led to the death of the 30 people in distress, as well as thousands of others before them.
The Italian and Maltese authorities must stop handing over responsibility for rescues in the central Mediterranean to the so-called Libyan coastguard, which has an appalling record of human rights violations and has forcibly returned over 100,000 people to Libya in inhumane conditions in recent years. Furthermore, the disputed Libyan Search and Rescue (SAR) zone cannot be considered the sole responsibility of the Libyan authorities. Finally, the Italian and Maltese authorities must stop relying solely on commercial vessels to carry out their rescue mission.
Many questions remain unanswered: why did the Italian and Maltese authorities and EUNAVFOR MED Irini not intervene directly to rescue people in danger? Why did no EUNAVFOR MED resources respond to the Mayday of Seabird 2? All these authorities must be held accountable for their role in this case and their failure to intervene.
We call on the European Union and its Member States to ensure safe and legal routes to Europe and to engage in coordinated search and rescue operations, instead of funding and equipping the so-called Libyan Coast Guard and supporting return operations that are illegal under international law.
RECONSTRUCTION OF EVENTS
(CET = Central European Time)
Saturday 11 March
01:32 a.m. CET: During the night, Alarm Phone receives the first call from people in distress. People keep shouting 'please help us' but are unable to give an exact GPS location.
01:38 a.m. CET: Alarm Phone receives a first GPS position (N 33 55, E 018 27), but the line goes dead. Alarm Phone tries to confirm the position by repeatedly attempting to contact the distressed vessel.
02:09 a.m. CET: Alarm Phone reaches the vessel again. The position (N 33 56, E 018 28) indicates that the vessel is drifting. Communication with the vessel in distress is extremely difficult due to the strong winds.
02:28 a.m. CET: Alarm Phone invia la prima e-mail al Centro italiano di coordinamento del soccorso marittimo (ITMRCC), all'RCC Malta e al Centro unificato di coordinamento del soccorso libico (JRCC Libya) per informarli della situazione di pericolo.
03:10 a.m. CET: As the tanker AMAX AVENUE (IMO: 9419450) approaches the danger zone, Alarm Phone sends an e-mail to the authorities requesting their intervention and at 15:28 CET contacts the insurance companies and the owner of the tanker by e-mail and telephone.
09:50 a.m. CET: The tanker AMAX AVENUE does not change course to approach the vessel in distress, but the cargo ship GAMMA STAR (IMO: 7703259) is in the vicinity. Alarm Phone informs the authorities of the assets in the area and the possibility of coordinating a rescue operation.
09:53 a.m. CET: Reached by telephone by Alarm Phone, the person in distress reports having left Tobruk 2 days ago. The person on the phone is crying, as are many others on board, as can be heard in the background. They say they have run out of food and water and repeatedly plead for rescue. Over the next few hours, Alarm Phone is in constant contact with the people on the boat. The people on board are terrified and cry out for help. They report that they have run out of fuel and that the boat is damaged. All GPS positions confirm that the boat is drifting. Alarm Phone continuously informs all authorities of the dangerous situation, sending emails and calling ITMRCC, RCC Malta and JRCC Libya (including repeated attempts to contact the so-called Libyan Coast Guard on the many phone numbers available).
10:32 a.m. CET: Sea-Watch's Seabird tracking aircraft spotted the boat in distress in the Libyan Search and Rescue (SAR) zone.
10:34 a.m. CET: Seabird sends a 'Mayday Relay' by radio (an emergency procedure in which information about a vessel in distress is sent by sea or air radio, requesting assistance from nearby vessels).
10:37 a.m. CET: The merchant vessel BASILIS L (IMO: 9290505), flying the flag of the Marshall Islands, responds to the Mayday. The vessel reports that it is 15 nautical miles (nautical miles is the unit of measurement used at sea: 1 nautical mile is 1,852 kilometres) from the distress location and is on its way.
11:18 a.m. CET: Seabird's shore crew sends an email to the Italian, Maltese and Libyan authorities, with a copy to the merchant vessel BASILIS L, informing them of the vessel in distress.
11:27 a.m. CET: Seabird's shore party calls the ITMRCC. The ITMRCC confirms receipt of the email. After stressing the urgency of the case and asking what their intentions were, the Italian officer refers the call back to the Libyan authorities and hangs up.
11:30 a.m. CET: In a telephone conversation with the merchant vessel BASILIS L, Alarm Phone learns that the vessel has been instructed by the Libyan authorities to monitor the situation until the arrival of the so-called Libyan Coast Guard, which would take the people back to Libya.
11:31 a.m. CET: Seabird radioed the merchant vessel BASILIS L, asking for an updated GPS position of the drifting vessel. The vessel replies that it is in contact with the so-called Libyan Coast Guard and is following the instructions of the ITMRCC. The so-called Libyan Coast Guard has given the merchant vessel BASILIS L the coordinates to which it is heading.
12:10 a.m. CET: Seabird's shore crew call JRCC Libya: the Libyan authorities are aware of the distress situation and say they have passed the information on to the Benghazi Operations Centre. Seabird's ground crew then ask if Benghazi is launching a rescue operation, but the Libyan authorities reply that they are not doing so at the moment.
12:11 a.m. CET: The Seabird ground crew sends an email to the merchant vessel BASILIS L reminding them of their duty to assist and sending the rescue information kit prepared by Sea-Watch.
12:12 a.m. CET: The Seabird crew calls the merchant vessel BASILIS L to remind them of the status of the vessel in distress and their obligation to assist.
12:15 a.m. CET: Alarm Phone tries to contact the freighter BASILIS L.
12:30 a.m. CET: The merchant vessel BASILIS L assesses the situation and monitors the vessel in distress.
12:39 a.m. CET: The merchant vessel BASILIS L is at a distance of 0.8 nautical miles from the vessel in distress.
12:50 a.m. CET: The crew of the Seabird calls the BASILIS L to inform it that, according to information received from shore, the so-called Libyan Coast Guard is not currently undertaking a rescue operation. The merchant vessel replied that it was following instructions from the JRCC, which had arranged for a patrol boat to be dispatched. Due to adverse weather conditions, the merchant vessel cannot safely rescue the vessel in distress.
1:12 p.m. CET: The Seabird's shore party calls JRCC Libya: JRCC has only been instructed to provide shelter to the vessel in distress, not to undertake a rescue operation. JRCC Libya wants to send a vessel from Benghazi for the rescue and adds: "If the merchant vessel wants a rescue, it must proceed".
1:25 p.m. CET: Seabird's crew passes this information from JRCC to BASILIS L.
1:26 p.m. CET: Seabird leaves the scene.
2:33 p.m. CET: The Seabird ground crew sends an update email to the merchant vessel BASILIS L.
2:50 p.m. CET: The Seabird ground crew sends an update email to the Italian, Maltese and Libyan authorities.
3:29 p.m. CET: Seabird's shore crew attempt to contact the Benghazi authorities, but no one responds.
4:35 p.m. CET: Alarm Phone, after trying to contact the so-called Libyan Coast Guard on several phone numbers without receiving a reply, finally reaches a phone number of the so-called Libyan Coast Guard in Tripoli. The Libyan officer says that he told the merchant ship to rescue the boat at 13:30 CET and that they had no ships available, either in Benghazi or in Tripoli, so they would not carry out the rescue.
4:51 p.m. CET: The Seabird ground crew call JRCC Libya: the officer says there is no ship available to send from Benghazi - there are only patrol boats available in western Libya.
5:06 p.m. CET: The Seabird ground crew call the ITMRCC and inform the MRCC in Rome that the Libyan JRCC has informed them that they are unable to send a rescue vessel. The Seabird ground crew ask who will be the co-ordinator as the JRCC is unable to respond or co-ordinate this rescue. The Italian officer changes the subject.
6:20 p.m. CET: Seabird ground crew call RCC Malta, the officer hangs up.
6:44 p.m. CET: Alarm Phone is informed by the so-called Libyan Coast Guard that they are in contact with a merchant vessel and that the ITMRCC is coordinating the operation.
7:59 p.m. CET: The so-called Libyan Coast Guard again confirms to Alarm Phone that the ITMRCC is coordinating the operation as the Libyan authorities are unable to send a ship.
Sunday 12 March
06:50 a.m. CET: After being in contact with the people in distress throughout the night, Alarm Phone receives another call from the people on board: they report that they are very exhausted: they have been at sea for three days without any help. Many of them are crying.
07:20 a.m. CET: Alarm Phone receives a call from the boat in distress, but no communication is possible. This is the last contact with the people in distress.
Alarm Phone then contacts the vessels BASILIS L, ATLANTIC NORTH (IMO: 9236597) and KINLING (IMO: 9893814), which are visible on AIS near the last known position of the vessel, but without success.
2:35 p.m. CET: Alarm Phone is informed that the merchant vessel FROLAND (IMO: 9505584) has picked up 17 people after the distressed vessel capsized in the morning. It is not known whether other merchant ships have rescued more people.
4:23 p.m. CET: The merchant ship MEDKON SAMSUN is also on its way to the ship in distress, bound for Misrata.
Monday 13 March
07:31 a.m. CET: ITMRCC sends an Inmarsat message asking all vessels in the rescue area to pay attention to the 30 missing persons.
Central Mediterranean, 14 March 2023
[1] Examples of similar cases: Rescue operations by merchant ships in the Libyan SAR (Search and Rescue) area, coordinated by the MRCC Rome.
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