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151 migrants rescued by numerous means

On the night of Nov 30, numerous departures of migrant boats were reported to the CROSS Gris-Nez in the Strait of Dover. On the evening, a passenger ship located a boat off the coast of Calais. The CROSS engaged the 'Abeille Normandie' to monitor the situation on the overloaded boat. Following a distress call, the CROSS also engaged the lifeboat 'SNS 077-Notre dame du Risba'" from the Calais SNSM station to assist the boat. Once on site, the lifeboat recovered two people from the sea, who were suffering from hypothermia and dropped them off at the Calais quay to be taken care of by the land-based rescue services. While the 'Abeille Normandie' maintained surveillance, some of the people on board the boat requested assistance. The tug crew recovered 73 people, including one diabetic person and three with minor burns. The CROSS then set up a telephone conference with the maritime medical coordination emergency medical service (SCMM) in Le Havre and the ship. The deployment of a medical team from the SMUR in Boulogne-sur-Mer was recommended to take care of the injured. The CROSS deployed ta Dauphin helicopter of the French Navy base in Le Touque, which hoisted the medical team aboard the 'Abeille Normandie'. At the same time, the CROSS deployed the SAR vessel 'Ridens' to take over surveillance of the boat with the remaining people. After a few hours, the nine people on board the boat requested assistance from the 'Ridens'. They were rescued and dropped off at the quay in Calais. At the same time, the medical team on board the 'Abeille Normandie' did not recommend a medical evacuation, but medical care at the quay, once the migrants were dropped off in Boulogne-sur-Mer. During the night, the CROSS engaged the hydrographic vessel 'Lapérouse' of the French Navy for the surveillance of a boat off the coast of Calais. Once on site, the 'Lapérouse' launched its semi-rigid boat and noted that the boat was overloaded and in poor condition. The CROSS then engaged the 'Abeille Normandie' to reinforce surveillance of the boat. The 'Lapérouse' initially recovered four people, two of whom had fallen into the water, and transferred them to the emergency tug. A few hours after the start of the surveillance, all people on board requested assistance. The 'Abeille Normandie' recovered 63 people on board. The 67 people rescued by the 'Lapérouse' and the tug were dropped off at the quay in Boulogne-sur-Mer, where they were taken care of by the land rescue services. In total, 151 people were rescued.

46 migrants rescued in two missions

In the night of Jan 16 and on Jan 17, 2024, the CROSS Gris-Nez was informed that several migrant boats were in difficulty in the strait of Pas-de-Calais. The emergency tug 'Abeille Normandie' was deployed to assist a boat in difficulty off the coast of Wimereux. 37 people were then rescued by the crew of the emergency tug and dropped off at the quay in Boulogne-sur-Mer. In the morning of Jan 17, the 'Lapérouse' was engaged for a boat whichwas in difficulty off the coast of Cayeux-sur-Mer. The crew rescued nine people. Several people still on board the boat refused the assistance offered and continued on their way. In connection with the CROSS Gris Nez, surveillance is maintained on the boat by on-site resources. The castaways were then dropped off in Boulogne-sur-Mer too, where they were taken care of by the shore based rescue services and the border police. In total, 46 people were rescued by the French means.

Laperouse involved in large scale SAR operation in English Chanel

In the night of Dec 13, 2022, a dozen migrant boats attempted to cross the Strait of Pas-de-Calais from the French coast to the British coast. Several of them, as well as people ashore, contacted the emergency services during the night. The CROSS Gris Nez joined with the MRCC of Dover in order to coordinate the response. At 03:02, the CROSS received a call from the association UTOPIA 56 transmitting the position of a precarious boat at 02:53 a.m. At 03:05 a.m., the CROSS thus contacted by VHF radio a commercial vessel which was sailing near the boat to inform it of its presence and ask it to relocate it. At 03:11 a.m., a first fishing vessel sailing in the same sector hearing this request, specified that the boat was heading northwest at 5.3 knots. At 03:13 a.m., the CROSS received an email from UTOPIA 56, recalling the inforamtion given by telephone at 03:02 a.m. Since 03:13, the MRCC of Dover and the CROSS Gris Nez were in permanent contact to have a shared situation on the crossings in progress. They exchanged in particular on the boat which had just been spotted 10 minutes before, en route to the northwest and which was going to enter the area of ​​competence of the MRCC of Dover. The MRCC said it was planning to task the RNLI to recover it. At 03:20 a.m., the fisherman who was approaching the boat could no longer do so, the latter being too close to a shoal; he then specified that he had visual contact with the boat heading northwest at a stable speed of 4.7 knots. The plastic craft was not detectable by radar, so the CROSS modeled a simulated track with SPATIONAV to track the craft. Ot also contacted a second fisherman, sailing on the other side of the shoal, in the British zone, asking him to keep a watchful eye. At 03:36 a.m. the modeling carried out made it possible to estimate that the boat had passed through the British zone. At 0421 a.m. the CROSS received a Mayday from Dover MRCC for a sinking craft with castaways overboard. The distress situation was discovered by a third fisherman, sailing further ashore west. A major rescue operation was launched, coordinated by the MRCC of Dover. It mobilized numerous British and French resources to carry out the rescue of the castaways. On the French side, in conjunction with the CROSS Gris-Nez, the BH 'Lapérouse' and a Dauphin helicopter of the French Navy were engaged in the search system from the middle of the night, alongside British resources. The 'Kermorvan' was deployed as reinforcement in the morning and remained in the area all day long on Dec 14. The BH 'Lapérouse' was relieved during the day by the BSAM 'Rhône' of the French Navy in the middle of the day. The Dauphin helicopter was stood down in the early morning. The search for any missing persons was suspended in the evening of Dec 14 after several hours of investigation of a very large area. According to the human toll transmitted by the British authorities, four migrants died in sea water temperatures of around 10 degrees, reducing the survival time of a castaway to less than two hours. The French authorities gave their full support and assistance to the British authorities throughout this operation.