JEANNE BARRET

Allgemeine Informationen

Kurs/Position

Die neuesten Nachrichten

Numerous rescue operations for migrant boats

On the night of March 19, 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.

230 migrants rescued during five operations

On the night of Feb 8 and on Feb 9, numerous departures of migrant boats were reported to the CROSS Gris-Nez. In the Pas de Calais Strait sector the departure of a migrant boat around was noticed off Gravelines, and the 'Ridens' was deployed for surveillance. On the early morning, the rubber boat quickly deflated off Calais. The 'Ridens' immediately rescued the 57 people on board with the help of the two semi-rigid boats of the 'Abeille Normandie' as reinforcements. Once they were rescued on board, the 'Ridens' raised alert about the condition of three migrants, one of them being unconscious and two suffering from hypothermia. The CROSS Gris Nez engaged the medical team of the SMUR Maritime of Boulogne-sur-Mer who were dropped off on board by a Dauphin helicopter of the French Navy base in Le Touquet. The unconscious victim was airlifted to the hospital in Boulogne-sur-Mer. The other two were dropped off in Calais by the Ridens and taken care of by the rescue services at around 9:45 am. At the same time, the CROSS Gris-Nez engaged the 'Minck' to monitor a boat that had left Le Portel. The 38 occupants requested assistance and were picked up by the vessel, which disembarked them in Boulogne-sur-Mer where they were taken care of early in the morning. On the morning of Feb 9, a third boat in distress was reported to the CROSS Gris-Nez off Petit-Fort-Philippe, and the 'Abeille Normandie' was deployed to assist. 19 people were then rescued, while the boat, with 40 other people on board, continued its route towards the British coast, without requesting assistance. A fourth boat was reported leaving Malo-les-Bains. The CROSS Gris-Nez engaged the PSP 'Cormoran' and the Dauphin helicopter of the French Navy base in Le Touquet. The patrol boat made contact with the boat, and it turned out that some of the occupants required emergency assistance. 42 people from the boat were recovered using semi-rigid boats from the 'Cormoran'. Among them, two people were injured. The CROSS informed the SAMU in order to send a medical team to the scene using a Dauphin helicopter of the French Navy. These two people were then winched up and dropped off at the hospital in Boulogne-sur-Mer. The boat with 17 people still on board continued its route without requesting assistance. At taround 8:00 p.m., the 'Jeanne Barret' rescued 33 people on a boat that had left on the earlymorning from the Baie de Somme sector. This operation followed an attempted boarding, at the beaches of Berck-sur-Mer. During this attempt, 41 people who were unable to board were rescued on the beach by the State services, under the coordination of the CROSS Gris-Nez. In total, 230 people were rescued at sea, under the coordination of the CROSS Gris-Nez during five operations.

Several rescue missions in Strait of Pas-de-Calais

On March 20, 2024, the CROSS Gris-Nez was informed that several migrant boats were in difficulty in the Strait of Pas-de-Calais. In the middle of the night, the CROSS Gris-Nez deployed the 'Ridens' as a rescue ship chartered by the State, to assist a boat in difficulty off the coast of Gravelines. Once on scene, the 'Ridens' noticed that the boat had suffered an engine failure, but initially the castaways refused to be rescued. A few hours later, 23 people requested assistance. The 'Ridens' then took them on board. Several people still on board the boat continued to refuse the assistance offered by French ship and continued on their way after having managed to restart the engine. Given the risks in the event of restrictive actions to force them to board state rescue resources such as falling overboard, thermal shock, various trauma, the choice was made to let them continue their voyage. In connection with the CROSS Gris Nez, surveillance was maintained on this boat by on-site resources. The castaways rescued by the 'Ridens' were then dropped off at the dock at the port of Dunkirk in the middle of the day. Later in the night, the CROSS Gris-Nez engaged the emergency tug 'Abeille Normandie', chartered by the French Navy, to assist another migrant boat off the coast of Sangatte. The crew rescued 64 people before being tasked to assist a second boat in difficulty in the same sector. Once on scene in th earlye morning, several people, including women and young children, asked for assistance. The tug rescued 25 people, but other people still on board again refused to be rescued by French means. In connection with the CROSS Gris Nez, surveillance was maintained on the boat by on-site resources. At the start of the afternoon, the 89 people rescued by the the 'Abeille Normandie' were disembarked at the port of Boulogne-sur-Mer and taken care of by rescue services and the border police. A little earlier in the day, the 'Jeanne Barret' was deployed by the CROSS to rescue a sick person on board a migrant boat. The latter, whose state of health was stable, was taken care of on board the 'Jeanne Barret' and then dropped off at the port of Calais.