The vessel was christened by French biathlete Emmanuelle Claret[2] and put in service by the Directorate-General of Customs and Indirect Taxes with the pennant number DF 42.

[4] In July 2016 an article about the restructuring of the French customs service naval branch mentioned that Suroît would not be repaired and transitionally anchored in La Rochelle.

They assured the public they were not planning to bring any migrant boats to Camaret-sur-Mer and claimed not to be associated with other non-governmental organizations (NGOs),[7] but Italian media classified the group as a spin-off of the German Sea-Watch NGO.

[8] The newspaper La Stampa associated street artist and activist Banksy with Louise Michel, citing sources and referring to artwork on the ship.

[9] Financer Banksy had recruited activist and veteran NGO-captain Pia Klemp for Louise Michel's first mission, The Guardian revealed on 27 August 2020 shortly after the ship's crew had picked up 89 migrants.

The crew sent out a distress call asking Italian and Maltese coast guards for help, stating on Twitter that one person was dead and Louise Michel had become disabled by a life raft towed to its side.

[18] Louise Michel left Spain in late June 2024, made a quick stop at the Tunisian port of Hammamet before heading to its planned rescue zone in international waters.