Formed in the British Isles, Storm Darragh hit the west and north coasts of France hard on the weekend of 6, 7 and 8 December 2024. Generating 7-metre waves and winds of 120 km/h, it triggered numerous operations to assist ships in difficulty near the Normandy coast.
These operations, carried out in degraded conditions, illustrate the intensity of maritime risks in the Channel-North Sea zone faced by State services under the coordination of the maritime prefecture .
On 6 December, following damage to its rudder, a Danish tanker was taken in tow at the end of the day to be brought, just before the storm, to the port of Le Havre from the coast of Barfleur by the intervention, assistance and rescue tug (RIAS) Abeille Liberté . The operation was coordinated by the Jobourg regional operational surveillance and rescue center (CROSS) .
On 7 December, CROSS Jobourg coordinated a medical evacuation on board another tanker which was then in the Casquets traffic separation scheme (TSS). In strong wind conditions (force 9), the H160 helicopter of the French Navy based in Maupertus was able to airlift the person to the hospital in Cherbourg.
A little further north, off the Alabaster Coast, a third major operation took place, this time coordinated by the CROSS Gris-Nez. A 122-metre-long barge , which had been drifting at a speed of 4 knots since its tow broke off the Isle of Wight, was approaching the coast of Seine-Maritime. Three tugs were dispatched to the area by the shipowner to try – unsuccessfully given the sea conditions – to take the barge in tow.
Given the risks to maritime safety, the maritime prefecture recalled its reinforcement teams to anticipate and coordinate the State’s response to a grounding that had become very likely. On December 8, a 4-person intervention team was sent to the barge with the French Navy’s Dauphin public service helicopter based in Le Touquet to attempt one last time, and again without success, to pass a tow. The barge then ran aground in the Sotteville-sur-Mer area without causing any damage or pollution. It is being monitored by State services while waiting for weather conditions to allow the shipowner to implement a withdrawal plan.
These operations carried out in the heart of the storm, which fortunately did not result in any loss of life, highlight the professionalism of the teams in the rescue chain and remind us of the humility needed in the face of the elements.