A public inquiry has concluded that the loss of at least 33 lives in the worst small boat disaster in the English Channel in November 2021 was avoidable. The 454-page report by former High Court judge Sir Ross Cranston is highly critical of systemic failings, missed opportunities, and inadequate resourcing that undermined the UK's maritime search and rescue response.
The inquiry found that HM Coastguard was placed in an 'intolerable position' due to chronic staff shortages and limited operational capacity, which directly contributed to the failure to rescue those in the water. The report noted that people smugglers supplied an unsafe vessel with inadequate safety equipment, including lifejackets stuffed with cotton that provided ineffective buoyancy.
Key failures included the French naval vessel Flamant, closest to the stricken dinghy when a UK mayday call was issued, failing to respond; flaws in HM Coastguard's search and rescue response, including the premature termination of the search early on 24 November; and delays in the deployment of UK Border Force's HMC Valiant. Expert evidence concluded that as many as 15 victims were likely still alive by sunrise, and some may have survived until early afternoon.
The report identified systemic issues such as chronic understaffing at Dover Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre, a problem repeatedly flagged internally before the disaster. A surveillance aircraft never launched due to weather, and there was no pre-determined contingency plan. Calls and messages from the small boat were missed or not followed up, including geolocation information sent via WhatsApp.
The inquiry made 18 recommendations, including that HM Coastguard invest 'at pace' in technology to reconcile duplicate small boat incidents and provide frequent staff training to avoid bias. It also called for an external body to regularly assess the effectiveness and efficiency of HM Coastguard. Sir Ross Cranston called for an end to small boat crossings, stating that travelling on small, unseaworthy, and overcrowded boats is inherently dangerous.
