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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 patrol boat '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.
99 migrants rescued from two precarious boats
On the night of Jan 14, 2025, numerous departures of migrant boats were reported to the CROSS Gris-Nez at the coast of Pas-de-Calais. In the middle of the night, the CROSS engaged the 'Abeille Normandie' to locate a migrant boat in the area of the La Huchette beach, between Gravelines and Calais. At the same time, the migrant aid association "Utopia 56" reported to the CROSS Gris-N that several people from this boat had fallen into the water. The 'Abeille Normandie' launched its semi-rigid to make contact with the boat and assess the situation but, noticing no people in the water, began monitoring the boat. After several hours, the CROSS Gris-Nez received calls from migrants asking for assistance. Noting that these were indeed aboard the boat near the 'Abeille Normandie', the crew picked up all 58 migrants on the boat and dropped them off at the quay in Boulogne-sur-Mer on the early morning of Jan 15, where they were taken care of by the shore-based rescue services. At the same time, another boat departure was reported at the coast of Malo-les-Bains to the CROSS, which deployed the 'Ridens' to ensure close surveillance. After a few hours, some of the people on board the precarious boat asked the 'Ridens' for assistance, which then picked up 41 people, while the rest of the migrants continued on their way. Given the risks of falling overboard or of injuries incurred by people in the event of a forced intervention by French rescue resources, the decision was made to let them continue their journey, while ensuring that their crossing was monitored. The CROSS Gris-Nez then engaged the customs patrol boat 'DFP1-Jacques Oudart Fourmentin' to relieve the 'RidensÄ' in monitoring the boat and allow the vessel to drop off the migrants, who had requested assistance, in Calais, where they were taken care of by shore -based rescue services. In total, under the responsibility of the Maritime Prefecture, 99 people were rescued.
45 migrants rescued, three died
On the morning of Dec 29, numerous departures of migrant boats were reported. Among these cases, around 6:00 a.m., a departure of one of the boats from Sangatte beach encountered difficulties during boarding with around 50 people remaining in the water and on the beach. The CROSS Gris-Nez noted the difficult departure and dispatched resources to the area to assist and recover people at sea in the coastal zone. The 'Ridens' was tasked to monitor the boat, and the 'SNS 077-Notre Dame de Risban' of the SNSM station Calais was deployed assistance, as well as the customs patrol boat 'Nordet' and its semi-rigid for assistance in the coastal zone; a Dauphin helicopter of the Navy base in Le Touquet, medical teams from the mobile emergency and resuscitation structure from Boulogne-sur-Mer and Dunkirk, who were deployed on the beach. During the SAR operation, 45 people were assisted by rescue services on land, most of them for hypothermia, including four in emergency, who were transported to the hospitals of Calais and Boulogne-sur-Mer. The Dauphin helicopter recovered three unconscious people. First aid was immediately given to them at the Tom Souville nautical base. Their deaths were confirmed by the medical teams. At the same time, the search for potential castaways at sea has continued. An investigation has been opened by the Boulogne-sur-Mer public prosecutor's office. 56 firefighters, one nurse and an advanced medical unit, 56 police officers and associations mandated by the State (Protection Civile and AUDASSE were involved.
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