Channel Chaos: Calm Weather Sparks Surge in Migrant Crossings
After weeks of stormy weather grounding small boats, a break in conditions on Saturday night saw people-smuggling gangs in France rush dozens of tiny boats onto the water.
Most vessels launched from Gravelines, near Dunkirk, heading perilously across the English Channel toward UK shores.
French Navy Watches, UK Border Force Acts
French naval ships escort the boats but do not intervene once they hit the water, only stepping in if vessels get into trouble before reaching UK waters.
On Saturday at 7:30pm, the first small boat set off from Gravelines. It reached UK waters by midnight, where Border Force intercepted the migrants.
The Border Force vessel Volunteer ferried around 40 passengers to Dover’s processing centre shortly after 1am, marking the first Channel crossing since 106 migrants arrived earlier that week.
Record-Breaking Traffic Expected as Weather Holds
Calm seas are forecast to continue until Wednesday, raising fears that thousands more will attempt the dangerous journey.
- Today’s operation involved three Border Force catamarans, two RNLI lifeboats, a coastguard plane, and a military surveillance aircraft.
- French naval vessels also escorted small boats up to the UK maritime boundary.
- Several boats were intercepted overnight with occupants transferred to British vessels.
- By 7:30am on Sunday, Border Force boats Ranger and Hurricane docked at Dover to offload dozens more migrants.
In total, about 300 migrants arrived on eight small boats in the biggest day of crossings so far this year. Since the New Year, around 450 people have made the perilous trip.
UK Braces for Surge Amid New Border Force Command
A record 45,756 migrants crossed the Channel last year, and Home Office officials expect up to triple that number in 2024. However, much depends on the weather in the coming months.
Bad weather late last year prevented numbers from reaching a feared 60,000.
From the end of this month, the Home Office will take charge of migrant operations previously run by the military under a new Small Boats Command.
This new command will bolster resources with 700 extra Border Force officers in Kent and increased cooperation between the Border Force, National Crime Agency, and the military to tackle the crisis more effectively.
