Provision of Offshore Vessel Charter to Support MMO Operations

The MMO as an executive non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs required an increase in marine surveillance to monitor, control and enforce sustainable fishing practices. The MMO is coordinating an enforcement programme for monitoring, control and surveillance of all sea fishing activity around the coast. In carrying out this regulatory function, the enforcement programme includes the inspection of fishing vessels at sea. Defra have developed a framework with operators to conduct marine surveillance, monitoring and patrol of waters to the EEZ, and to facilitate the boarding of other vessels by the MMO's Marine Enforcement Officers (MEOs) whilst also providing a physical deterrent presence. All values stated are cumulative upper limits of the value of the framework over 4 years, the actual contract values of call-offs will be lower.