According to international conventions governing sea rescue operations, maritime borders should not interfere with rescue efforts, as saving lives at sea is defined as a priority. However, since 2015, and in the specific context of maritime migration, the adherence to SAR conventions by signatory states has often taken a back seat, overshadowed by national sovereignty concerns focused on the dual control of borders and migratory flows. This interference of borders with the fundamental principles of sea rescue is part of a broader process of border externalization and the militarization of sea rescue operations. The aim of this article is to clarify the transformations of this complex system, based on examples from the Alboran Sea, the Strait of Gibraltar, and the Canary Islands route, for which we have geolocated data on all sea rescue operations carried out by SASEMAR (the public company responsible for rescue operations in the Spanish responsibility zone) between 2015 and 2021. Drawing on this empirical data, we demonstrate the gradual emergence of borders in sea rescue operations conducted in these two maritime areas, and the growing role of Morocco since 2018.
This thirty-sixth episode features an interview with Arnaud Banos.
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