The Hague: Noureddine Amrani

Local residents and tourists initially assumed it was merely a training exercise, but in the early hours of the morning, a starkly different scene unfolded off the coast of the Dutch province of Zeeland. A black inflatable boat, carrying 38 people, was being tossed by the waves; the passengers adamantly refused to come ashore or set foot on Dutch soil.

At 6:00 a.m. on Saturday, the Coast Guard began receiving reports of a small, black inflatable boat packed with people—passengers positioned in a single file, with one foot inside the craft and the other dangling just above the water.

A large-scale response was launched, involving the Coast Guard, the Royal Military Police (Marechaussee), the KNRM (Royal Netherlands Sea Rescue Institution), Rijkswaterstaat (the executive agency for public works and water management), and the police. They scoured the area for the black vessel, which was being buffeted by the waves.

Upon locating the boat, it became clear that the individuals on board had no intention of stepping onto the coast of Zeelandic Flanders. The group consisted of 35 migrants from Afghanistan and two individuals from Sudan—the latter suspected of being human smugglers.

A Royal Navy official stated to the press that the inflatable boat was towed immediately upon being intercepted. The official noted that this was an unprecedented incident, suggesting that the migrants’ intended destination may have been British waters.