RFA ARGUS RETURNS TO MONTSERRAT FOR HUMANITARIAN AID DISASTER RELIEF (HADR) EXERCISE October 20 2020

Royal Fleet Auxiliary ARGUS will be visiting Montserrat on Tuesday 20 October to conduct its Humanitarian Aid Disaster Relief (HADR) exercises in Foxes Bay and Cork Hill following on from their successful visits in April this year.

While it is customary for the Royal Montserrat Defence Force (RMDF) to work alongside visiting ship crews in preparation for hurricane season, during the current COVID era and in light of current restrictions there will be no interaction between the RFA Argus crew and the RMDF. The RMDF will stay in close radio contact with the crew throughout their visit and provide support through a series of pre arrival checks on the Corkhill field and other areas that will be a part of the exercise.

The HADR exercise is to allow the crew and deployed troops to practise working together in Montserrat’s unique conditions. There will be helicopters flying throughout the day to bring Royal Marines and equipment as they would do in response to a hurricane emergency.

RFA Argus is currently set up as a helicopter carrier.  She has 3 Merlin helicopters and a Wildcat helicopter, as well as small boats, disaster relief stores and specialist engineers. All personnel on the ship are adhering closely to UK Government direction on COVID-19.

We strongly urge that any farmers or other essential workers who may be in the Exclusion Zone in the Foxes Bay and Cork Hill areas from 0800-1800 to maintain a safe distance from any military personnel encountered to minimise any potential COVID-19 exposure.