OYAPOCK

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24 migrants rescued, one died

On the morning of April 18, 2025, several migrant boat departures were reported to the CROSS Gris-Nez off the coasts of Pas-de-Calais and Nord. First, a boat was reported departing from Cap Blanc-Nez. The CROSS deployed an aircraft to monitor the boat's departure and the Gendarmerie's RHIB 'Ouranos', which was then relieved by the 'Cormoran' to continue monitoring the boat. The crew launched their operational droma boat (EDO) to make contact with the boat. The occupants refused the offered assistance. The 'Cormoran' continued its surveillance of the boat until arriving in the British SAR region, where it was taken over by the British emergency services. During the recovery by British assets assisted by the 'Cormoran', one person was reported unconscious. A medevac was coordinated by the British rescue center. The victim was declared dead as they approached Dover. At the same time, the CROSS engaged the 'Oyapock' of the Maritime Gendarmerie, to relocate a migrant boat adrift from Gravelines. Once there, the vessel made contact with the boat's occupants, who refused the assistance offered. Shortly after, the occupants requested assistance from the vessel, which then picked up all nine occupants before dropping them off at the port of Dunkirk. Late in the morning, a migrant boat set sail from Equihen beach. The 'Pluvier' was hired by CROSS to locate and monitor the boat. The boat was heavily laden. While conducting surveillance near the boat, the 'Pluvier' reported the deflation of the boat's inflatable tubes and people who had fallen into the water. The victims in the water were immediately recovered by the 'Pluvier's EDO. The 'Minck' was deployed to support the 'Pluvier'. A total of 15 people were rescued. The other occupants of the boat refused all assistance and resumed their journey, under the supervision of the 'Minck', towards British waters after having managed to reinflate the boat's inflatable tube. In total, 24 people were rescued by French resources.

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.