FS FLAMANT

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194 migrants rescued in several missions, three deceased

On Sep 9, several assistance and rescue operations were coordinated by the CROSS Gris-Nez to assist migrant boats. On the early morning, the CROSS was informed of the departure of a migrant boat from Gravelines beach and engaged the 'Oyapock' to make contact with the overloaded boat. Later that night, the gendarmerie boat was relieved by the 'Abeille Normandie'. Several people on board the boat requested assistance, and the emergenvy tug rescued 24 people and disembarked them in Boulogne-sur-Mer. The remaining occupants continued on their way. The same morning, the CROSS was alerted to the departure of a boat off Fort Mahon. Several resources were deployed in turn by the CROSS to monitor the boat, among them the 'SNS7-034 Notre Dame des Sables' from the SNSM station in Berck-sur-Mer, the 'Oyapock', the 'Ouranos' from the nautical brigade of the Calais gendarmerie, the PSP 'Flamant' and the ''Jacques Oudart Fourmentin'. The occupants refused the assistance offered by French resources. A few hours after the boat's departure, the SNSM-lifeboat rescued a person who had fallen overboard and was then taken into care by the SDIS 62. Still on the morning. the departure of a boat was reported off the coast of Dieppe. The CROSS immediately engaged the a'SNS 091 Sainte-Anne-des-Flots' from the Dieppe SNSM station. Other resources were then deployed to take turns monitoring the boat as it progressed along the coastt, among them the 'Jacques Oudart Fourmentin', the semi-rigid inflatable boat 'SNS 6-016 Entre deux Baies' from the Fort-Mahon SNSM station and the 'Flamant'. The boat refused the assistance offered by French resources. At the end of the day, while still monitoring the boat, the 'Flamant' deployed its EDO to get as close as possible to the boat. Shortly after, 10 people were rescued by the EDO and taken to the beach at Equihen by the fire department. The other occupants of the boat continued their voyage. Several hours later, during the night, all migrants aboard the boat requested assistance. They were thus rescued in their entirety by the 'Flamant'. In total, 125 people were rescued by the patrol boat, including 10 taken ashore and 115 disembarked at the quay in Boulogne-sur-Mer. On the evening of Sep 9, a migrant boat was reported leaving Hardelo. Several migrants attempted to return to shore with difficulty. The gendarmes then entered the water and rescued an unconscious man, whom they managed to revive. The CROSS deployed the 'Jacques Oudart Fourmentin' to monitor the boat, and the 'Minck' and an aircraft to search for and, if necessary, rescue potential shipwrecked persons during the boarding phase. The firefighters and ground security forces present on site, along with the civil defense, took charge of a group of migrants on the beach. The boat refused any further assistance and resumed its voyage under the surveillance of the'Jacques Oudart Fourmentin'. Parallel searches conducted in the area using nautical and aerial means did not result in any new shipwrecked persons. During the night of Sep 9, the 'Abeille Normandie' was engaged by the CROSS to search for an overloaded boat. Once on site, the occupants requested assistance. 44 people were rescued by the tug's crew, including three unresponsive people. A conference call was established with the Maritime Medical Coordination Emergency Medical Service in Le Havre to establish a medical assessment prior to the deployment of a team from the Maritime Mobile Emergency and Resuscitation Unit (SMUR) in Boulogne-sur-Mer using the French Navy's Dauphin helicopter based in Le Touquet. Once on board, the SMUR doctor pronounced the three people dead.

55 migrants rescued in two missions

On the night of July 28, the CROSS Gris-Nez was alerted to the departure of several migrant boats off the coast of Nord and Pas-de-Calais and deployed the 'Ridens' to monitor a boat off the coast of Petit Fort Philippe. During the monitoring, several people aboard the boat requested assistance. The 'Ridens' then launched its operational drom boat (EDO). Once on site, the crew rescued all 40 people on board. The migrants were dropped off at the quay in Calais on the morning of July 29. On July 29, the patrol vessel 'Flamant' was deployed to monitor a second boat that had left the Aa Canal. Once in the area, the 'Flamant' launched its EDO and began monitoring the boat. Following requests for assistance from some migrants, the crew rescued a total of 15 people. The remaining occupants of the boat refused the offered assistance and continued on their way. The people rescued by the 'Flamant' were dropped off at the quay in Calais in the late afternoon. Thus, a total of 55 people were rescued and taken into care by government resources.

107 migrants rescued in three missions

On July 17, the departure of a migrant boat was reported to the CROSS Gris-Nez at the mouth of the Authie River. The 'Flamant';and the tug 'Abeille Normandie' as well as a Dauphin helicopter of the Navy base in Le Touquet were deployed and made contact with the boat. The 'Flamant' launched an operational docking boat (EDO) to monitor the migrant boat. On the evening it suffered an engine failure and requested assistance. The crew of the 'Flamant' took on board the 44 people and dropped them off at the port of Calais, where they were taken into care by government services. During the mid-afternoon, the 'Abeille Normandie' and the Dauphin helicopter were deployed to search the area for migrants stranded by the tide. The five were hoisted by the helicopter and taken nto care by the Departmental Fire and Rescue Service and the National Gendarmerie. Already late on July 18, 2025, the cROSS Gris-Nez was alerted to the departure of a migrant boat in the Equihen-Plage area. The 'Minck' and the lifeboat 'SNS 4013' from the Equihen Beach SNSM station were deployed to locate the boat. The 'Minck' launched its RIB to monitor the boat, which requested assistance. The 'Minck's crew took on board the 58 people, who were taken to the port of Boulogne-sur-Mer and taken into care by government services.