Update on Cefas Operations: RV Cefas Endeavour returns to sea
17 June 2020
On 26 March 2020, we announced that operations on Research Vessel (RV) Cefas Endeavour had been suspended to keep staff, partners and the public safe from COVID-19.
Over recent weeks Cefas has worked alongside our new vessel management contractor (AW Ship Management) to take all necessary steps and precautions in line with Government advice and guidance to provide a safe working environment onboard RV Cefas Endeavour. As a result of this, the vessel departed Lowestoft on the morning tide of 14 June 2020.
RV Cefas Endeavour is scheduled to be at sea for 14 days. During this time, the onboard team of crew and scientists will undertake important fisheries survey operations on behalf of the UK Government in the Western Channel.
General update
Cefas continues to take steps to keep its staff and partners safe from COVID-19 while supporting Defra and our other customers in the UK and internationally. This means our staff have been working from home, and only where absolutely necessary, have they worked from our laboratories in support of essential projects and contracts.
The Fish Health Inspectorate remains in operation and essential statutory field duties, such as response to exotic disease outbreaks and the application of disease controls, will still be undertaken where government measures to control Coronavirus allow this. The export inspection and routine aquatic animal health inspection programmes have been suspended and Aquaculture production businesses (APB’s) in England and Wales will not receive their customary disease surveillance and compliance inspection visits in the usual manner; sites will instead being contacted by telephone. You can find out more information on FHI activities during the COVID-19 outbreak here.
We will continue to review these arrangements in the coming weeks, in line with government advice. Please use our website, social media channels and news bulletins, to keep informed of restrictions on the use of our facilities
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