OYAPOCK

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Patrol boat rescued 38 troubled migrants

On the early morning of Feb 25, 2025, the Dunkirk semaphore informed the CROSS Gris-Nez of a migrant boat leaving the Dunkirk/Malo-les-Bains sector. The CROSS engaged the VCSM 'Oyapock' to locate the boat. After several hours of monitoring, the boat suffered an engine failure, and several of its occupants requested assistance. The CROSS then engaged the emergency tug 'Abeille Normandie' to support the 'Oyapock', which then recovered 38 people from the boat before it continued on its way with the rest of the migrants on board. Given the risks of falling overboard or of injuries incurred by people in the event of forced intervention by French rescue resources, the decision was made to let them continue their voyage, while ensuring that the crossing was firther monitored. The 38 people rescued by thepatrol boat were taken back to the port of Dunkirk to be taken care of by the rescue services on land.

120 migrants rescued in several missions

On the night of Dec 11, numerous departures of migrant boats in the Strait of Pas-de-Calais, were reported to the CROSS Gris-Nez, which deployed the VCSM 'Oyapock' to monitor a migrant boat off Petit-Fort-Philippe. Following an engine failure, the people on board the boat requested assistance. The 'Oyapock' picked up 52 people and dropped them off at the port of Dunkirk, where theys were taken care of by the land rescue services. At the same time, another departure of migrants was reported to the CROSS off Audresselles. The 'Abeille Normandie' was deployed for surveillance. After a few hours, the tug crew noticed that the boat had stopped off Wissantorder to embark people waiting on the beach for an attempt to cross the strait. The tug launched its semi-rigid boats in order to anticipate any danger caused by this embarkation from the coast. The 'Abeille Normandie' recovered two people who were in the water and continued to monitor the rest of the people on board the boat, which refused any assistance. The two people taken care of by the 'Abeille Normandie' were then transferred to the 'Minck', which had been deployed in parallel by the CROSS Gris-Nez for another rescue operation in the Grand-Fort-Philippe sector: Following an engine failure of their boat, the migrants on board requested assistance from the 'Minck', which recovered 64 people, who, as well as the two people previously transferred aboard from the 'Abeille Normandie', were brought back to the port of Calais and taken care of by the land rescue services. The 'Borda', a hydrographic vesse of thel French Navy, also rescued two people and brought them back to the quay in Boulogne-sur-Mer.

79 people rescued in two missions

On the night of June 23, 2024, the departure of a migrant boat near Sangatte was reported to the CROSS Gris-Nez, which deployed the patrol boat FS 'Flamant' to check the situation on site. Once near the boat, the patrol boat indicated that the boat had an engine failure and requestede assistance. The 'Flamant' recovered the 69 people on board, who were dropped off at the port of Calais, where they were taken care of by the rescue services. During the night, a second boat was reported to CROSS Gris-Nez, sailing in the Malo-les-Bains sector. The CROSS dep.oyed the 'Oyapock' to investigate. Once in the area, the crew noticed that the boat had been heading towards the beach to take on board around 50 people, but then suffered an engine failure and went adrift. Initially, the castaways refused to be assisted and continued their drift towards the beach. After some time, a group of around ten people on board asked to be rescued by the crew of the 'Oyapock', which took them aboard. The rest of the people on board the boat managed to reach the shore by their own means. Those aboard the 'Oyapock' were dropped off at the dock at the port of Dunkirk, where they are taken care of by the rescue services.