KERMORVAN

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Patrol boat assisted migrant boats - 34 rescued and one deceased

On the night of July 27 , the departure of a migrant boat off the coast of Calais was reported to the CROSS Gris-Nez, which deployed the polcie boat 'Armoise' and the 'Kermorvan' to locate the boat and verify the situation on site. Once on site, on July 28 at around 5:30 a.m., the heavily loaded boat was found in difficulty, and some of the people on board requested assistance. The two vessels launched their semi-rigid boats and began to recover the people in difficulty. The 'Kermorvan' recovered four castaways. During the transfer, it was noted on board the migrant boat that one person was unconscious. The victim was taken care of on board and first aid was immediately provided. The CROSS Gris-Nez then established a telephone conference with the maritime medical coordination emergency services of Le Havre and the 'Kermorvan' to assess the situation. A medical evacuation to a hospital was recommended by the doctor for the unconscious person. The CROSS deployed a Dauphin helicopter of the French Navy base in Le Touquet, which airlifted the victim to the hospital in Boulogne-sur-Mer, where he was declared dead. The semi-rigid of the 'Armoise' continued to recover the migrants and took 31 people on board. The 31 castaways were then transferred to the Kermorvan. At the same time, the CROSS deployed the lifeboat 'SNS 077-Notre Dame de Risban' from the SNSM station in Calais to reinforce the SAR forces and maintain surveillance on the boat. Several people still on board the boat refused the assistance offered by the French resources. The 'Armoise' resumed its surveillance mission. Given the risks of falling overboard or injury to people in the event of forced intervention, the decision was made to let the other people on the boat continue their journey. The 34 castaways recovered by the 'Kermorvan' were then dropped off at the port of Calais, where the castaways were taken care of by the land rescue services and the border police.

Patrol boat assisted 54 distressed migrants

On the night of July 21, the semaphore of Boulogne-sur-Mer signalled the departure of a migrant boat to the CROSS Gris-Nez. The CROSS Gris-Nez deployed the 'Abeille Normandie' and the patrol boat 'Kermorvan' to relocate the boat. Once on scene, its poor buoyancy was noted. The 'Abeille Normandie' and the 'Kermorvan' each launched two rescue boats to help the people in distress. Given the urgency of the boat breaking up and several migrants falling into the water, the four rescue boats provided assistance and allowed people in difficulty to be collected on board. All 54 people were rescued and taken aboard the 'Abeille Normandie', which then dropped off the people at the dock at the port of Boulogne-sur-Mer.

Yacht set on fire during drug raid

On the night of May 23, 2024, during an operation ordered by the Maritime Prefect of the Atlantic, in conjunction with the Brest public prosecutor, and guided by customs from the operational center of the national directorate customs Coastguard in Nantes, the 'Kermorvan' seized 406 kg of cocaine on board the Polish sailboat 'Le Dahu' in the Bay of Biscay. The National Directorate of Customs Intelligence and Investigations (DNRED) had detected the yacht in the Caribbean and tracked its route into the the Bay of Biscay, in liaison with OFAST, MAOC and DEA. On the evening of May 23, with the agreement of the Polish authorities, and following the relocation of the ship by a Beechcraft Customs aircraft, the crew of the 'Kermorvan' carried out an inspection of the sailboat on the basis of Article 17 of the United Nations Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances. The two crew members, after setting fire to the ship in an attempt to sink it and its cargo, were taken in custody by the crew of the 'Kermorvan', and the cargo was seized. The narcotics were packed in 19 bales. The drug was handed over to OFAST under the authority of the Public Prosecutor at the Brest Judicial Court, who relinquished the case in favour of the public prosecutor's office of the Specialized Interregional Jurisdiction (JIRS) of Rennes, now in charge of conducting the judicial investigation. Report with photo: https://www.premar-atlantique.gouv.fr/communiques-presse/saisie-de-stupefiants-sur-un-voilier-dans-le-golfe-de-gascogne