Crew members in uniform are working at the consoles on a ship’s bridge during a Frontex operation.

Photo report: Frontex sea rescue operation

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Photo report – Frontex operation for INS

In late 2022, ISOWAY was commissioned by INS to produce a photo report on an exceptional operation conducted by the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, Frontex. The aim of this assignment was to document a migrant sea-rescue simulation carried out in an international setting under realistic conditions.

Two men sitting at a conference, with flags and microphones in front of them.
A naval captain’s cap adorned with gold embroidery.

Photo Paul Marnef / INS / Frontex

Photo Paul Marnef / INS / Frontex

A speaker standing at the front is giving a presentation to participants seated at tables during a meeting relating to a Frontex operation.
A member of the "Guardia Costiera" is monitoring several screens in a control room.

Photo Paul Marnef / INS / Frontex

Photo Paul Marnef / INS / Frontex

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The exercise involved several vessels, a helicopter, a surveillance aircraft and numerous sailors and specialist personnel, all taking part in a meticulous re-enactment of a humanitarian sea-rescue operation. As a professional photographer, I had the privilege of working at the heart of the action, close to the teams, in an atmosphere that was technical, intense and profoundly human.

The resulting images capture the precision of the manoeuvres, the complexity of the coordination operations and the human dimension of the rescue missions. This type of reportage requires great responsiveness, constant adaptation to changing conditions and a keen sense of visual storytelling.

A smiling pilot in a flight suit standing in front of a Guardia Costiera helicopter in a hangar.
A close-up of an officer’s uniform featuring a badge bearing maritime symbols and Greek text.

Photo Paul Marnef / INS / Frontex

Photo Paul Marnef / INS / Frontex

A man in a coastguard uniform is looking through binoculars from a watchtower near the sea.
An aeroplane and a boat on the ocean, with a distant view of mountains.

Photo Paul Marnef / INS / Frontex

Photo Paul Marnef / INS / Frontex

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This photo report, produced by photographer Paul Marnef, fully reflects ISOWAY’s approach: offering an engaged, well-documented and aesthetically compelling perspective on large-scale institutional and humanitarian missions. Here, documentary photography supports transparency around European initiatives and institutional communication while also providing essential visual testimony to help audiences understand contemporary challenges at Europe’s borders.

Frontex conference badges with blue lanyards on an orange table, with text reading "SAR Workshop within JO Themis, 11–13 October 2022, Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy".
A border police officer seen from behind, wearing a uniform bearing the words ‘BORDER POLICE’.
A man in military uniform with gold epaulettes.
Soldiers in camouflage uniforms sitting at a table, taking part in a meeting whilst wearing microphones.
A conference with officers in uniform seated at a table, a man speaking at the lectern, and a projection displaying ‘Cagliari, 10–13 October’.
An international military meeting with representatives in uniform in a conference room, national flags on the tables, a presentation on a screen, and the words ‘Squalo 2022’ alongside the dates 10–13 October in Cagliari.
An international meeting with flags from several countries on a table; people talking whilst holding documents and holding microphones.
A man in uniform with epaulettes, wearing glasses, sitting in front of a microphone.
A man in military uniform is speaking into a microphone.
Navy caps with gold insignia.
A naval captain’s cap with a gold badge featuring an anchor and laurel leaves on a blue background.
Maritime police uniforms with badges, close-up, in a conference room.
A man in military uniform with a Spanish insignia on his sleeve, sitting at a table. He is wearing a wristwatch and has a badge on his jacket. The background is blurred.
A conference attended by people in military and security uniforms, with presentations shown on screen and ‘Frontex’ banners in view.
Coastguard control room with two people monitoring computer screens and wall-mounted monitors displaying images and maps.
A man in military uniform wearing a ‘Guardia Costiera’ badge is standing in front of a red and white helicopter inside a hangar.
A close-up of a Guardia Costiera helicopter, featuring a black anchor on a white background and the words ‘Remove Before Flight’.
A pilot in military uniform standing in front of a helicopter in a hangar.
Coastguard helicopter with the ‘Guardia Costiera’ logo and lettering clearly visible on the red and white fuselage.
A smiling pilot is standing in front of a Coastguard helicopter, wearing a flight suit and holding a helmet, inside a hangar.
A Guardia Costiera helicopter with specialised equipment attached, inside a hangar.
A helicopter flying over the sea against a backdrop of blue sky and clouds.
A helicopter flying over the sea against a blue sky.
A man in a life jacket hanging from a helicopter in flight, against a cloudy sky.
An Italian coastguard vessel moored at the quay, with lifeboats on board, in the evening.
A man wearing a blue hard hat and goggles is pointing and holding a pair of gloves. He is wearing overalls with flag insignia. Several other people wearing hard hats and safety clothing can be seen in the background.
Three members of the Italian Guardia Costiera in the wheelhouse of a ship.
Four people in uniform are in a ship’s control room, operating navigation equipment.
A man in a navy uniform using binoculars.
A uniformed ship’s crew in a ship’s bridge, using navigation equipment.
An Italian Coastguard rescue boat with crew on board.
A sea rescue operation involving a person on a stretcher on board a boat.
A sea rescue carried out by rescue workers on a boat using a stretcher.
A military helicopter flying under a cloudy sky above the sea.
An injured person is lying on an orange stretcher, wearing a life jacket, surrounded by rescue workers in high-visibility clothing. Their face is covered in visible injuries.
A team of first-aiders on a boat, with a dummy on a stretcher for a sea rescue drill.
Sea rescue helicopter, person suspended, boat.
A helicopter carrying out a maritime rescue operation above a boat.
A scene of a sea rescue, showing a rescuer in an orange life jacket helping two people wearing life jackets, one of whom is wrapped in a thermal blanket.
Four people on a boat, including two women sitting down, wearing orange emergency blankets and life jackets, and two rescue workers wearing red high-visibility vests and masks.
A person wearing a life jacket is being assisted by rescue workers dressed in marine rescue gear.
A Coastguard helicopter carrying out a rescue operation at sea, seen from the deck of a ship.
A group of uniformed military personnel discussing something whilst gathered around an interactive screen on a ship.
A boat with a helicopter flying overhead, crew on deck, the sea and mountains in the background.
A helicopter hovering over the sea, an orange and white lifeboat on the water, a cloudy sky.

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