Iranians held in Dover after ‘bizarre’ route across Channel in stolen French fishing trawler
Henry Samuel
Alexandra Ward
UK BORDER police arrested 17 migrants who stole a French fishing trawler, crossed the Channel and reached the UK coast overnight in an “unprecedented operation”.
The migrants, all Iranian and including three minors, broke into the 40ft (12m) boat in the northern French port of Boulogne-sur-mer on Monday night.
The French coastguard spotted the trawler taking a “bizarre” route across the world’s busiest waterway at around 9.30pm local time in calm seas. The surveillance and safety centre, Cross, at Cap Gris-nez in the Pas-de-calais, phoned the owner of the vessel, who confirmed his boat was missing, and then contacted the maritime rescue coordination centre in Dover.
Alerted to their imminent arrival in UK waters, Border Force officers arrested the migrants when they reached the shore in the early hours, according to a spokesman of the Manche and North Sea maritime authority.
A Home Office spokesman said: “Border Force attended a report of a fishing vessel at Dover Harbour this morning, Tuesday 13 November, and boarded it with assistance from Dover Harbour Authorities and HM Coastguard. Fourteen men and three minors, all of whom presented themselves as Iranian, were found on board.
“The Home Office will progress their cases in accordance with the immigration rules and the three minors have been referred to social services.”
Their precise landing point in the UK is not yet known. “We’re talking about an unprecedented operating mode. Until now we have seen only makeshift vessels [attempting the crossing],” Ingrid Parrot, the Manche spokesman, said.