Sea Ranger ship remains in port for now

The Sea Ranger ship Fantastiko will not sail until further notice. Due to the COVID-19 outbreak it is irresponsible to continue the work says director of the Sea Ranger Service, Wietse van der Werf: “We work with a group of young people who typically travel from all parts of the country and also from Belgium on public transport to start their shift work onboard. The scenario of someone stepping onboard and only showing symptoms once we would be at sea is plausible. The risk is simply too great. We will temporarily halt our activities and keep a close eye on the situation”.

The Sea Rangers, young people who work as “park rangers at sea” in the North Sea, perform various tasks for the conservation of underwater wildlife on a daily basis. For example, they conduct research into plastic pollution, carry out weather measurements and monitor historical shipwrecks.

The risk is too great. We will temporarily halt our work at sea.