ABEILLE NORMANDIE

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Die neuesten Nachrichten

84 migrants rescued from troubled boat

On the morning of Jan 20, the departure of a migrant boat was reported to the CROSS Gris-Nez at the coast of Pas-de-Calais, by a witness. The CROSS deployed the 'Jacques Oudart Fourmentin' to monitor the situation. Once on site, the patrol boat reported the migrant boat had stranded on a sandbank. However, it could not approach it due to the low tide. Following a distress call from the stranded boat, the CROSS Gris-Nez hired additional resourcesto recover the people. The French Navy sent a Dauphin helicopter. 22 people were rescued and transferred aboard the patrol boat. They were then disembarked at the port of Calais and taken care of by the authorities on land. After running aground on the sandbank, the same migrant boat then managed to resume its route towards the open sea. The CROSS Gris-Nez deployed the 'Abeille Normandie' to monitor the situation. Following another distress call of the boat, the tug recovered the 62 migrants remaining on board the boat and dropped them off in Boulogne-sur-Mer, where they were taken care of by the rescue services on land.

99 migrants rescued from two precarious boats

On the night of Jan 14, 2025, numerous departures of migrant boats were reported to the CROSS Gris-Nez at the coast of Pas-de-Calais. In the middle of the night, the CROSS engaged the 'Abeille Normandie' to locate a migrant boat in the area of ​​the La Huchette beach, between Gravelines and Calais. At the same time, the migrant aid association "Utopia 56" reported to the CROSS Gris-N that several people from this boat had fallen into the water. The 'Abeille Normandie' launched its semi-rigid to make contact with the boat and assess the situation but, noticing no people in the water, began monitoring the boat. After several hours, the CROSS Gris-Nez received calls from migrants asking for assistance. Noting that these were indeed aboard the boat near the 'Abeille Normandie', the crew picked up all 58 migrants on the boat and dropped them off at the quay in Boulogne-sur-Mer on the early morning of Jan 15, where they were taken care of by the shore-based rescue services. At the same time, another boat departure was reported at the coast of Malo-les-Bains to the CROSS, which deployed the 'Ridens' to ensure close surveillance. After a few hours, some of the people on board the precarious boat asked the 'Ridens' for assistance, which then picked up 41 people, while the rest of the migrants continued on their way. Given the risks of falling overboard or of injuries incurred by people in the event of a forced intervention by French rescue resources, the decision was made to let them continue their journey, while ensuring that their crossing was monitored. The CROSS Gris-Nez then engaged the customs patrol boat 'DFP1-Jacques Oudart Fourmentin' to relieve the 'RidensÄ' in monitoring the boat and allow the vessel to drop off the migrants, who had requested assistance, in Calais, where they were taken care of by shore -based rescue services. In total, under the responsibility of the Maritime Prefecture, 99 people were rescued.

107 migrants rescued in numerous interventions

During the night of Dec 24, numerous departures of migrant boats were reported to the CROSS Gris-Nez between Dieppe and Leffrinckoucke. Very early in the morning, the CROSS engaged the 'SNS 087 Jean Bart II' of the SNSM and the 'Abeille Normandie' to monitor a migrant boat, some of whose occupants were requesting assistance off the coast of the Dunkirk sector. The tug initially went to the scene, but was quickly re-engaged on another operation, the 'SNS 087', once on site, took over the surveillance, went to contact the boat and gradually recovered 30 people requesting to be rescued. The rest of the occupants of the boat were taken care of by British resources once they arrived in British waters. The boat then headed towards the port of Dunkirk, where the 30 rescued migrantss were taken care of by the onshore services. At the same time, off the coast of Dunkirk, another attempt to cross the strait was reported to the CROSS, which engaged the 'SNS 077-Notre-Dame du Risban' and the 'Abeille Normandie' to ensure close monitoring of the boat. Initially, the SNSM boat went to the scene to assist the migrant boat, which first refused assistance. Later, the migrant boat was reported to be in difficulty due to an engine failure. The 'Abeille Normandie' took over from the 'SNS 077' and rescued 51 people. After this first recovery, the CROSS engaged the 'Abeille Normandie' in another surveillance operation reported at the Walde Lighthouse Arriving on site, the tug reported that the occupants wanted to be rescued, launched its semi-rigid boat and rescued 26 people. All migrants were dropped off at the port of Boulogne-sur-Mer. In total, 107 people were rescued.