DOVER SEAWAYS

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283 migrants rescued in various operations

From the late afternoon of Dec 15, to Dec 16, the CROSS Gris-Nez was informed that several migrant boats were in difficulty off the coast of Pas-de-Calais. Several means were used to rescue 283 people. In the afternoon of Dec 15, the 'Abeille Normandie' rescued a first boat off the coast of Boulogne-sur-mer with 53 people on board. The castaways were dropped off in the early evening at the port of Boulogne. Later in the evening, the patrol boat 'Armoise' rescued another boat with 60 people on board, off the coast of Grand Fort Philippe. The castaways were dropped off in the middle of the night at the port of Boulogne. In the middle of the evening, the 'Apollo Moon' responded to a migrant boat with 50 people on board, which was in difficulty off the beach of Hemmes de Marck. The castaways were taken on board and dropped off at the port of Calais in the middle of the night. Also in the middle of the evening, the CROSS received several calls from different associations reporting that a migrant boat was in difficulty off the coast of Gravelines. One of the associations indicates that a person died on board the boat according to information transmitted by a migrant. After cross-checking the calls, the CROSS obtained live contact with the boat via the SAMU. The migrants indicated that no one was injured or dead but that they were asking for assistance. The CROSS uses different means to locate the boat and rescue the shipwrecked, the lifeboat 'SNS 276-Notre Dame de Flandres' from Gravelines, the lifeboat 'SNS 077-Notre Dame du Risban' from Calais; - the “Action Air” aircraft, the ferry 'Dover Seaways' and the 'Esvagt Charlie', which finally located the boat and rescued the 65 people. The castaways indicated that two migrants were deposited a little earlier on a buoy. The CROSS requested the 'Dover Seaways' which was near the buoy to quickly verify this information. After confirmation of the presence of two people in the latticework of the buoy, the CROSS sent the 'SNS 077' to rescue these castaways. The 65 castaways rescued by the 'Esvagt Charlie' disembarked in Dunkirk (59) at the end of the night, and the two castaways rescued by the 'SNS 077' disembarked in Calais in the early morning of Dec 16. In the middle of the night, different associations contacted the CROSS to report that a migrant boat was in difficulty off the coast of Blériot Plage with people overboard. The CROSS engaged the 'Apollo Moon', the 'SNS 077', the “Action Air” plane and a Dauphin helicopter of the French Navy. After locating the boat, the 'SNS 077' rescued 14 people before being engaged in the ongoing operation off the coast of Gravelines. The 'Apollo Moon' rescued the 39 other castaways, several of whom indicated that there was ultimately no one at sea. The 53 castaways were all disembarked in Calais in the morning. Report with photo: https://www.premar-manche.gouv.fr/communiques-presse/operations-de-sauvetage-de-283-personnes-au-large-du-pas-de-calais

Damen Shiprepair Dunkerque carries out major refit and rebranding project for DFDS Seaways

Damen Shiprepair Dunkerque is assisting DFDS Seaways, northern Europe’s largest shipping and logistics company, in a major refit and rebranding programme, with five vessels successfully completed so far. Two more ferries are currently at the Dunkirk-based repair yard, which is the closest facility to the main cross-channel ferry routes. Three of DFDS’ ‘D-Class’ ferries – the Dover Seaways, Dunkerque Seaways and Delft Seaways – were upgraded in just three weeks. These vessels operate on the Dover-Dunkirk route. DFDS - Flandres- DSDu- 0550_LRNext to the normal dry docking work scope, Damen Shiprepair Dunkerque carried out extensive work and overhauled the propulsion, stern and bow thrusters, rudders, engines and repainted the vessels with the company’s new livery, requiring an impressive 11,000 sq m of paint per ferry. The Dunkerque Seaways’ bow doors were also rehung and the Kongsberg Power Management and Control System were upgraded with the latest hardware and software. http://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/damen-shiprepair-dunkerque-carries-out-major-refit-and-rebranding-project-for-dfds-seaways/

Abandoned backpack caused evacuation of ferry

450 passengers of the "Dover Seaways" were evacuated from the ferry in Loon Plage, near Dunkirk, after a bomb scare was caused by an abandoned bag on Jan 16, 2016. At 4:15 p.m., the staff discovered a suspicious backpack in a garbade dump in an area where vehicles were parked. The 450 passengers and crew members were evacuated into a building in the port terminal awaiting the arrival of deminers. The operation ended around 7:10 p.m. when deminers found out that the backpack contained only sandwiches and eggs. The 450 evacuees were able to return onto the ship, which left port soon after.