EU migration defence | Italy ignored distress call in the Mediterranean – dozens drowned

Frontex's Fundamental Rights Office (FRO), headed by Swede Jonas Grimheden, has made serious allegations against Italy, Libya, and the EU border agency itself: An internal "security incident report" posted online by the border agency documents how a maritime emergency in March 2024 became one of the worst fatal disasters in the Mediterranean because the responsible authorities ignored their duty to rescue. Dozens of boat passengers presumably drowned as a result.

On March 8, 2024, a Frontex surveillance aircraft spotted an overcrowded dinghy with approximately 50 migrants in the Libyan search and rescue zone. It was drifting unpowered at sea, overcrowded, and in poor condition. Frontex therefore sent a "Mayday Relay" distress call, which was confirmed by Italian authorities. However, instead of initiating a rescue operation, the authorities called off the search after three days and marked the incident as "closed" in the Frontex system—even though the boat was still at sea.

It wasn't until March 13, 2024, that the ship "Ocean Viking," operated by the aid organization SOS Méditerranée, was able to rescue 25 survivors. Two of them were unconscious and had to be evacuated immediately. According to the rescued people's reports, there were originally 75 to 85 people on board, including women and children. At least 50 people died during the five days at sea from exhaustion, dehydration, and the extreme conditions after the boat's engine failed about three days after departure.

The online magazine "EU Observer" was the first to report on the case and also questioned Frontex about it . The agency attempted to deny responsibility: "As soon as our aircraft sighted the boat, a Mayday relay was triggered and all relevant maritime rescue centers were informed," a spokesperson told the magazine. Two Frontex aircraft conducted further search flights over the next three days. What the border agency failed to disclose: The private contractor for the Frontex surveillance flights did not want to fly at night and, according to the "security incident report," refused to activate further support – allegedly there was no official maritime distress.

The FRO report specifically names the culprits: Italy failed to coordinate the maritime emergency: The rescue center in Rome failed to provide Frontex with real-time information. An "Inmarsat call" sent by Italy on behalf of Libya was not received until 40 hours later and contained outdated positioning data. The Libyan coast guard was informed several times about the boat in distress but made no discernible rescue efforts. According to the Frontex representative, this constitutes a violation of the right to life enshrined in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and the UN Civil Covenant.

Nicola Stella of SOS Méditerranée therefore accuses Frontex and Italy of "not having mobilized resources to rescue the boat." The "Ocean Viking" only found it by chance, as the ship was en route to another emergency. When SOS Méditerranée finally rescued the survivors, Italy initially assigned the NGO ship a distant port to disembark the people—which jeopardized the survivors' medical care. Only after protests from the captain was a closer port approved.

Fundamental Rights Commissioner Grimheden identifies the causes of death in the report as a chain of administrative failures and calls for concrete reforms. These include clear rules for Frontex and contractors regarding when aircraft must be activated. The FRO also calls for binding communication obligations between the Libyan and Italian rescue centers and Frontex.

In addition, transparent criteria are needed to determine when a maritime emergency is considered "closed." Italy should also allocate more quickly accessible ports to NGOs so as not to further endanger the lives of those rescued. However, this remains common practice – the resulting detours cost NGOs a lot of money and valuable time , which is lost for further rescues in the Mediterranean.