ABER ILDUT

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Numerous rescue operations for migrant boats

On the night of March 19, 2025, numerous departures of migrant boats were reported to the CROSS Gris-Nez, which initially engaged the 'Ridens' in the Dunkirk Channel to monitor an overloaded, precarious boat that had left the west port of Dunkirk at 11:30 p.m., with approximately 40 people on board. At around 3:00 a.m., the boat picked up a new group of people on the coast of Gravelines. The 'Ridens' rescued three people in difficulty in the water, then a group of 12 people aboard the boat requesting evacuation. Among those rescued, one was unconscious. The CROSS Gris-Nez immediately deployed the French Navy's Dauphin helicopter based in Le Touquet, with a medical team from the SMUR from Boulogne-sur-Mer on board, as well as the lifeboat 'SNS 276- Notre-Dame des Flandres', based in Gravelines. The unconscious person was treated by the medical team, which was hoisted aboard the 'Ridens'. The medical treatment was unsuccessful in resuscitating the person, who was declared deceased. The 15 people were disembarked at the port of Gravelines by the lifeboat and taken care of by the emergency services on land. An investigation was opened by the Dunkirk prosecutor's office. The 'Ridens' continued to monitor the boat as it made its way towards the United Kingdom with approximately 80 people on board. After coordinating the rescue of two migrants who had fallen overboard and were evacuated to Boulogne-sur-Mer, the CROSS Gris-Nez continued to monitor the boat on which the two rescued individuals had attempted to board earlier on the morning. At midday, following a request for assistance from the migrants, the patrol boat 'Jeanne Barret' rescued the occupants of the boat and initially took 11 people on board, including one unconscious person, while the lifeboat 'SNS 076-Président Jacques Huret' from the Boulogne-sur-Mer SNSM station reinforced the resources on site. While the 'Jeanne Barret' rescued the migrants from the precarious boat, the lifeboat, after having arrived on the scene, provided medical care to the person who had regained consciousness and two other migrants. All 50 people rescued from the boat were taken to Boulogne-sur-Mer by mid-afternoon and treated by land-based rescue services. On March 19, 2025, shortly after 9:00 a.m., the CROSS Gris-Nez was informed that a group of people attempting to board an rubber boat for an attempt to cross the Strait of Dover was in difficulty in the Equihen beach area. The boat had set sail an hour earlier near Hardelot-Plage. The 'Jeanne Barret', initially deployed by the CROSS Gris-Nez for surveillance, and the National Gendarmerie's RHIB 'Ouranos' were dispatched to the scene. Once on site, two people were detected in the water. One was rescued by the 'Ouranos', suffering from hypothermia, and the other, rescued by the 'Jeanne Barret', was in cardiorespiratory arrest. Both people were evacuated to Boulogne-sur-Mer for treatment by on-shore emergency services. The person in cardiorespiratory arrest was declared deceased despite the intervention of rescue services at sea and on land. At the same time, the CROSS Gris-Nez deployed the semi-rigid 'SNS 6295 Président Jacques Lebrun' from the SNSM station in Boulogne-sur-Mer and the VCSM 'Aber Ildut' to search for possible victims at sea. Other surveillance operations were still underway off the coast of Pas-de-Calais.

35 migrants rescued off Boulogne-sur-Mer

In the early morning of Nov 26, 2023, the CROSS Gris-Nez was informed that a migrant boat was in difficulty off the coast of Boulogne-sur-Mer and deployed the VCSM 'Aber Ildut' to rescue the shipwrecked people. The migrants refused the assistance offered. In conjunction with the CROSS, the 'Aber Ildut' maintained a surveillance of the boat. Several hours later, at the beginning of the afternoon, the CROSS engaged the emergency tug 'Abeille Normandie' to maintain surveillance of the boat. After it arrived on scene, several people on board the boat then accepted the assistance offered. The 'Abeille Normandie' took 35 people on board. But the boat's engine could finallybe restarted by the migrants still on board. The latter then refused to be rescued by the 'Abeille Normandie'. Given the risks incurred by migrants in the event of restrictive actions to force them to board state rescue resources such as falling overboard, thermal shock, various trauma, it was decided to let them continue their journey. In connection with the CROSS Gris Nez, surveillance was maintained by the 'Abeille Normandie'. At the end of the day, the tug headed towards the port of Boulogne-Sur-Mer with the 35 people on board. When they arrived at the dock, they were taken care of by the departmental fire and rescue service and the border police.

57 migrants rescued, two died

In the early morning of Nov 22, 2023, security forces were able to stop several attempts to cross the Channel near Équihen beach. Faced with this situation, the CROSS Gris Nez deployed the 'Aber Ildut' as a precaution to monitor the sector in front of the beach d'Équihen. At around 1:30 p.m. LT the crew of the 'Aber Ildut' informed the CROSS Gris-Nez that a migrant boat had taken to the sea and was in serious difficulty less than a kilometer from the beach. Several people fell into the water and some appeared to be lifeless. The 'Aber Ildut' immediately came to the rescue of the shipwrecked people, the CROSS Gris Nez mobilized a Dauphin helicopter of the 35F from Le Touquet, the semi-rigid of the Boulogne-sur-Mer fire brigade; the semi-rigid 'SNS 6295-President Jacques Lebrun' of the SNSM station Boulogne sur Mer, the patrol boat 'Rhône' of the French Navy; the two boats of the tug 'Abeille Normandie' and the semi-rigid 'Triton' of the National Police. At around 2:40 p.m., the 'Aber Ildut' recovered most of the castaways but indicated that two inanimate people were no longer within sight. The 'Triton' arrived on site along with a boat from the fire brigade from Boulogne sur Mer, were responsible for carrying out the search for the two people. At the same time, the Dauphin SP helicopter arrived in the area around 1:10 p.m. and rescued one person in difficulty at sea. After being airlifted, he was dropped on the beach and then handed over to the firefighters. A few minutes later, the helicopter relocated the two missing people and confirmed that they were unresponsive. The fire boat recovered these two people who could not be resuscitated. The 'Aber Ildut' was able to rescue 57 victims, several of whom were hypothermic. All were dropped off at the dock in Boulogne sur Mer and then taken care of by the shore based teams. Various resources present in the area were kept on site until the end of the afternoon to check that no other shipwrecked people or boats were adrift in this sector. An investigation was opened by the Boulogne public prosecutor's office.