For the first time, Frontex has sent a patrol vessel to the English Channel to support French search and rescue operations related to small, overcrowded boats at sea. The vessel operating alongside the French coast works alongside a surveillance aircraft that the European Border and Coast Guard Agency has flown over the Channel since 2021.
They will be fully integrated in the search and rescue task force coordinated by the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) Gris-Nez and conducted under the authority of the Manche Mer du Nord Maritime Prefect.
The Spanish Guardia Civil offshore patrol vessel, Duque de Ahumada, began operating off the French coast this week. It will be replaced in late September by the Río Segura, with further vessels from other Member States ready to join the operation in the months ahead.
The vessel will help give French authorities a fuller picture of what is happening at sea. It will detect, verify and track small boats, passing precise information in real time to the authorities.
Every crossing in the Channel is dangerous. Boats are often overcrowded, conditions can change quickly, and lives remain at risk. Frontex supports national authorities in monitoring the coastline and the waters between France and Belgium and the United Kingdom.
National authorities remain fully responsible for law enforcement and search and rescue in their own waters. Frontex supports them with surveillance and situational awareness, so that they can make faster and better-informed decisions. It is important to emphasise that Frontex’s role is dedicated to French search and rescue operations and will not be involved in any manner to interception operations in the maritime area.
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Email: press@frontex.europa.eu
Spokesperson: Chris Borowski (+48 667 667 294)
