From: Marine Accident
Investigation Branch
Today, we have published our accident investigation report on the
loss of at least 27 lives when an inflatable boat, carrying
around 33 people, became flooded and partially sank during an
attempt to cross from France to the UK on 24 November 2021. There
were 2 survivors and 4 people remain missing.
The report, available via
this link, contains details of what happened, subsequent actions
taken and recommendations.
Chief Inspector of Marine Accidents, Andrew Moll OBE, said:
This was a tragic accident in which many lives were lost. Our
investigation has closely examined the events on the night to
understand, as best we can, what went wrong so lessons can be
learned to ensure a dreadful night like this is not repeated.
The events of 24 November 2021 were complex with multiple
inflatable boats that were unsuitable and ill-equipped for the
journey attempting to cross the Dover Strait to England. The
occupants were not trained mariners and their only means of
calling for help was by mobile phone. Many boats made multiple
distress calls and without dedicated aerial surveillance over the
strait it was extremely challenging for the coastguard to
understand how many boats were attempting the crossing, their
locations and their actual levels of distress. During the early
hours of the morning an inflatable boat with around 33 people on
board became flooded and partially sank so its occupants entered
the water. Although there was an immediate search and rescue
response it took time for the first rescue craft to arrive on
scene where, despite poor visibility, a number of migrant boats
were found. In spite of the best efforts of those involved, as
the pace of dealing with located migrant boats increased the
plight of the stricken craft became masked and, sadly, the
victims were not found until spotted by a passing fishing vessel
later that day.
In November 2021, the UK’s response to the migrant crisis was
still evolving and although the need for enhancements had been
identified remedial action was still in hand. The report
acknowledges that significant changes have been made since the
accident. However, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and Border
Force are recommended to develop procedures to ensure effective
surveillance of the Dover Strait is possible when aviation assets
are unavailable. A recommendation is also made to the Maritime
and Coastguard Agency to work with French authorities to improve
the transfer of information between UK and French coastguard
agencies during migrant crossing events.
