Contract disclosures published on a government portal show that Aeolian Offshore, which is based on the Isle of Wight and normally serves the offshore wind industry, has provided three vessels. Details of the outsourcing plan were published as the number of people crossing the canal in small boats hit a new record, despite the government’s controversial plan to prevent them by striking a deal with Rwanda to deport asylum seekers to the central African state. According to the contract with Aeolian, its three vessels will work 12-hour shifts, departing from Ramsgate, Kent, and sailing to “reported sightings of migrant vessels, to collect migrants found”. The boats, which typically have room for 12 passengers and three crew, must be able to accommodate “at least 100 migrants” on deck, it says, as well as tow any craft the people on board may have used to cross. the channel. The contract states: “Border Force personnel will conduct all immigration movements and work in deck areas while at sea. The migrants will then be placed in Dover before the ship returns to Ramsgate at night.’ However, the contract also states that Aeolian will provide some crew, who “may be required to assist” in handling pick-ups. A spokesman for Seacat Services, Aeolian’s parent company, said the crew were given “specialist training beforehand and ongoing support throughout their time on board to meet the unique challenges of the job”. They added that there was enough space on the boats for 100 people, as well as 12 Border Force personnel and three crew members. Data from vessel tracking website Marine Traffic shows the three vessels – 24m catamarans named Seacat Defender, Seacat Volunteer and Seacat Ranger – have made regular trips across the Channel and between Ramsgate and Dover in recent days. Aeolian Offshore, which owns the vessels, is an offshoot of Seacat Services, a company that typically supplies them to service offshore wind farms. It won the £1.97m contract, which starts in June and ends in January next year, amid growing concern over Operation Isotrope, Home Secretary Priti Patel’s plan to enlist the Royal Navy to prevent people who want to cross the channel. Earlier this year, the Observer reported that the Patel plan was in disarray, with defense chiefs increasingly angry at the Home Office. A former defense secretary said the navy’s involvement had turned it into a “taxi service”. A spokesman for the Home Office said it would not comment on operational matters. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. “However, we will always ensure that Border Force has the resources it needs to protect our borders, including cracking down on unacceptable small boat crossings and to save lives across the Channel,” they said. Ian Baylis, founder of Seacat Services and managing director of Aeolian Offshore, said the company was partly motivated by the “humanitarian” aspect of intercepting migrant boats. “Seacat saw the tender released a few months ago and, upon review, it was clear that the requirement suited the class and design of vessels we manage,” he said. “So we decided to bid based on the fact that it provides employment for our boats and therefore our crew, but we also felt that this work was an important thing to be able to help, given the importance of the humanitarian element. “Seacat also has an agenda to continue to expand its offshore wind fleet with more British designed, built, flagged and operated vessels. Therefore, being able to secure employment for a good percentage of our fleet enables us to make further investment decisions to support the offshore wind sector and its supply chain.” The accounts for Seacat Services, filed at Companies House, show it is exempt from filing full accounts. The exemption applies if companies have two of the following: an annual turnover of less than £6.5m, assets not exceeding £3.26m or fewer than 50 staff.
