Presence, rescue, intervention at sea… Following the announcement by Emmanuel Macron in January 2023 of a project to strengthen coastal surveillance, the first French coastal reserve flotilla will be launched in Brest (Finistère) in June. Other Atlantic ports such as La Rochelle (Charente-Maritime) and Bayonne (Pyrenees-Atlantiques). A total of 3,000 reservists will be recruited by 2030. These new figures are intended to support National Fleet reservists. The eyes of these operational agencies will be maritime affairs or even the maritime gendarmerie.
“It is about creating a more organized reserve (the Ministry of the Armed Forces has announced doubling the reserves to strengthen the bond between the army and the nation) and therefore reaching out to the civilian margins, namely young people, without necessarily having them officially join to Army. National Fleet,” explains Frigate Captain (CF) Alban Simon, a representative of the Atlantic Maritime Prefecture based in Brest. Seventy squad-sized reservists must be recruited from Ponan City. The Brest naval base will be the headquarters of the Atlantic coast, that is, it will control the advancing detachments from La Rochelle and Bayonne.
“They will be the eyes and ears of the authorities at sea.”
“Ultimately, ten squads of 70 sailors will be evenly distributed on each of the three sea fronts of France,” clarifies the football club Alban Simon. Each of them will consist of a vehicle with a boat trailer, a boat (semi-rigid less than 8 m long) capable of carrying up to eight reservists, and a micro-drone.
The missions of these flotillas, which will operate within a radius of up to 6 nautical miles from the coast, in cooperation with naval units, semaphores, as well as with other administrations operating at sea, will vary depending on the needs. “They will be the eyes and ears of maritime authorities in the fight against roughness, sea pollution, rescue or pure surveillance,” continues K.F. Alban Simon. They will carry out surveillance, reconnaissance and control. Then it’s up to the competent authorities. (NCIS) attend, flag and issue fines or take action on other possible offences. »
And the representative of the maritime prefecture cited the example of the Brest Maritime Festival 2024, which, in addition to old rigging or antique boats, will bring together countless boaters to plan the harbor or even to discuss the problem of pollution in Glenane last year. in the summer, when numerous illegal discharges of gray and black water were observed in this protected area, which was nevertheless stormed by boaters.
Source: Le Parisien
I have worked in the news industry for over 12 years. I have a vast amount of experience in different areas of the industry, including politics. I am currently a political news writer for 24 News Recorder. I have also written a book about politics. In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, as well as traveling.
