Key Figures
Mediterranean 28,378 arrivals by sea in 2017*
813 dead/missing in 2017
Trends of Sea Arrivals
From 01 January 2017, 20,580 persons arrived by sea, including 3,369 to Greece (as of 21 March), 19,549 to Italy (as of 21 March) and 1,000 to Spain (as of 31 January). As of 19 March, 537 people have died or gone missing while trying to reach Europe by sea, compared with 5,022 in the whole of 2016.
From 13 to 19 March 558 persons arrived by sea to Greece. The number of daily sea arrivals fluctuated between 0 (15 March) and 193 (17 March). Chios recorded the majority of sea arrivals (334), followed by Lesvos (156) and Samos (55). Compared with the previous week the average number of daily arrivals increased from 27 to 80. The increase of arrivals has coincided with improved weather conditions, which had been particularly bad during the previous weeks. From 06 to 12 March there were 186 estimated arrivals by sea to Greece. Chios recorded the majority of estimated sea arrivals (80), followed by Lesvos and Samos (67).
From 13 to 19 March, 388 persons (including 30 Unaccompanied and Separated Children-UASC) were estimated to have arrived to southern Italy by sea. New arrivals departed from Libya and mainly originate from sub-Saharan African countries. Most were (325) disembarked in Augusta on 16 March after having been rescued in a search and rescue (SAR) operations. Furthermore, a number of autonomous sea arrivals occurred during the week, including small groups of Tunisian and Algerian nationals who reached Sicily and Sardinia, respectively, while 21 Iranian, Somali and Sri Lankan nationals reached Sicily having departed from Turkey. Finally, 27 Iraqi and Afghan nationals were intercepted on board of a vessel departed from Mersin, Turkey, and subsequently disembarked at the Trieste port in northern Italy. From 06 to 12 March, 84 persons (including four UASC) disembarked in Augusta.
From 06 to 12 March, 218 persons (nine boats) arrived to Spain by sea mainly originating from sub-Saharan African countries (Cote d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Guinea).
Most new arrivals were rescued in the Mediterranean Sea or in the Strait of Gibraltar and later transferred to the Andalusian coast (Almería and Motril, on the Alboran sea) or near the Strait of Gibraltar (Tarifa, Algeciras).
Furthermore, a boat carrying 17 persons arrived in Ceuta, having departed from very close to the Morocco-Ceuta border: this was the first time in many months that a boat reached Ceuta in broad daylight. Between 13 and 17 March, bad weather conditions impacted on sea arrivals in the Western Mediterranean. However, on 19 March sea arrivals resumed with 42 persons (two boats) rescued by the Spanish Rescue Agency and transferred to Almería and Tarifa. Furthermore, 30 persons travelling on board of a further boat were intercepted by Moroccan authorities and transferred back to Morocco.
The Spanish Minister of Interior reported that so far in 2017, 1,554 persons have arrived to the Andalusian coast using 62 small “patera” boats (a boat with a shallow draft, used by immigrants to cross the Straits of Gibraltar from Morocco to southern Spain). Sea arrivals on the Andalusian coast have increased by 150 per cent compared to the same period last year.
Key Developments
Situation in Greece
UNHCR, through its partner the Ecumenical Refugee Program (ERP), will support the Greek Asylum Service with the transfer of 1,000 asylum-seekers from Greece to other EU Members States by covering the cost of their air tickets. The support is made for outgoing transfers under the Dublin Regulation for family reunion and protection of UASC, transfers that should be expedited, as an exceptional measure as otherwise the decisions would have expired.
As of 12 March 2017, 1,252 people have been transferred out of Reception and Identification Centre (RIC) Moria to improved accommodation on Lesvos and the mainland.
Since September 2016, 1,016 people have been transferred to the mainland. UNHCR continues to reduce accommodation in hotels and increase accommodation in apartments as part of the Accommodation Scheme. The number of hotels will further reduce in April 2017. At the same time, UNHCR is increasing its capacity in terms of accommodation in apartments and buildings.
On the islands, Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) remains a critical issue due to the lack of basic standards in the RICs. Inconsistent planning and management contributed to the insecurity in the sites. The situation is most grave in the RICs in Lesvos (RIC Moria) and Samos (RIC Vathy). On the mainland, a training on SGBV (core principles, key approaches and response) was organised by UNHCR in the three Elliniko sites. The Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) on SGBV were discussed in the framework of the SGBV working group (at central level) where the partners were requested to provide their comments in order to finalize the document.