An English fishing boat would have deliberately cut the cable of a French trawler on the night of January 15 to 16, 2025. In a letter addressed to the Minister of Fisheries, Xavier Bertrand calls for “strong measures” to avoid a tragedy at the future as tension reaches its peak in the Strait of Pas-de-Calais between French and British fishermen.
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A tragedy narrowly avoided, and questions by the dozen after an incident which takes a diplomatic turn. During the night of Tuesday January 14 to Wednesday January 15, 2025, a French trawler – the “Rose de Cascia” whose home port is Boulogne-sur-Mer – was allegedly attacked by an English fishing boat – the “Henk Senior” – off the French coast.
“It’s a first”confirms by telephone Hervé Jurkiewicz, responsible for communications at the Regional Committee for Maritime Fisheries and Marine Farming (CRPMEM) of Hauts-de-France. He recounts these few minutes of anguish. “The English boat arrived stealthily, with all lights off, to seize the cable that holds the net to the trawler with a grappling hook. explain Hervé Jurkiewicz. The grappling hook then caught on the cable several tens of meters long and carried the trawler backwards. “The cable was cut but the six French sailors on board managed to recover the net,” he said.
We have a French boat of 24m and an English boat of more than 30m, it's like comparing a Clio with a semi-trailer.
Hervé Jurkiewicz, communications manager at CRPMEM des Hauts-de-France
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“This is an extremely dangerous maneuver for the crews. If there was a leak at the rear of the bridge, there could have been damage and the French boat could have sunk. assures the CRPMEM communications manager.
And “critical threshold crossed”, “incident of exceptional seriousness”safety of sailors “severely compromised”. In a letter addressed to the Minister of Ecological Transition and Fisheries this Friday, January 17, 2025, Xavier Bertrand does not mince his words.
Letter from Xavier Bertrand addressed to Agnès Pannier-Runacher after the incident in the English Channel.
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© Hauts-de-France Region
The president of the Hauts-de-France region condemns in the strongest terms this incident, which goes beyond “largely the usual problems of cohabitation between peach trees following Brexit”. According to the communications manager at CRPMEM, this incident is “e“St emblematic and revealing of the tensions that exist in the Strait of Pas-de-Calais since Brexit and the reduction of fishing zones”.
The fishermen, supported by Xavier Bertrand, ask the authorities:
- The opening “immediate in-depth investigation into the reported facts”,
- The immediate hearing of the crew members of the British ship “Henk Senior” upon returning to port,
- The conviction “firm and exemplary” those responsible.
According to the regional president, “an irreparable tragedy could occur if strong measures are not taken quickly”. The fishermen are now awaiting a response from their responsible minister. Hervé Jurkiewicz also ensures that a complaint has been filed.
