Cefas transfer vessel to Northern Ireland

The Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) transferred it’s Research Vessel (RV) Corystes to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Northern Ireland (DARD) on 31 January 2005.

Cefas will, however, continue to have access to the RV Corystes in the future. Initially, it, intends to charter the vessel for three cruises per year. The deal enables Cefas to better utilise its asset base whilst maintaining flexibility in the planning of its research cruises.

Cefas has periodically upgraded its research vessels in the past. Following delivery of the larger, purpose-built RV Cefas Endeavour in April 2003, Cefas disposed of an older vessel, the RV Cirolana. This had seen over 30 years’ service. The RV Cefas Endeavour is now fully committed to carry out research throughout the year.

Cefas Chief Executive, Mark Farrar, said: “This transfer helps emphasise the continued co-operation between Cefas and DARD. We maintain close links with DARD and look forward to further joint working and shared knowledge to the benefit of the marine environment and the UK fishing industry.”

DARD Chief Scientific Officer George McIlroy stated that “DARD were delighted to take charge of the Corystes as a replacement for the elderly Lough Foyle. The larger and more modern vessel will enable DARD scientists to broaden the scope of their research and monitoring programmes in the Irish Sea and surrounding waters and create further opportunities to build closer research links between DARD and Cefas.

Notes to editors

1. Cefas is an internationally renowned scientific research and advisory establishment, based at Lowestoft since 1902. It also has laboratories at Burnham-on-Crouch and Weymouth, and a number of other facilities around the UK. It became an executive agency of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in 1997. 
2. Cefas undertakes work on fisheries management, environmental protection and aquaculture. It offers a wide range of research, advisory, consultancy, monitoring and training activities to government departments (UK and foreign, central and local), international agencies, commercial companies and aid organisations. For more details see http://www.cefas.co.uk/.  
3. DARD Science service undertakes the work programme of marine fisheries and environmental research and monitoring in the Irish Sea and adjacent sea areas required by DARD to acquire scientific information to support its statutory and policy responsibilities for fisheries, marine environmental management and aquaculture. For more information see www.dardni.gov.uk. 
4. The RV Corystes left its homeport of Lowestoft for the last time on 13 January 2005. It was dry-docked in Liverpool on 17 January, to enable its new owners to make a closer inspection of the vessel. On completion of that inspection, the RV Corystes will sail on a 4–5-day inter-comparability cruise with DARD’s Loch Foyle, before being officially transferred on 31 January 2005.  
5. The RV Cefas Endeavour carries an impressive suite of equipment and provides a flexible base for research. For more information see http://www.cefas.co.uk/researchvessels.htm ##########################################. Cefas vessels are crewed by SMIT (www.smit.com)