Ukraine Receives Two Minehunters from Belgium, Netherlands
The Belgian minesweeper BNS Narcis and the Dutch Zr.Ms. Vlaardingen were recently transferred to Ukraine.
The Gaze reports on this with reference to the Dutch Ministry of Defence.
The transfer took place earlier during a ceremony at the Belgian naval base in Zeebrugge. This event was only reported now for operational security reasons.
The ship Zr. Ms. Vlaardingen will now bear the name of the Ukrainian city of Melitopol. At the end of 2025, the ship Zr. Ms. Makkum will also be transferred and named after the Ukrainian city of Henichesk. Both of these cities are currently illegally occupied by the Russian aggressor.
This transfer is the result of close cooperation between Ukraine, Belgium and the Netherlands. Even before the official transfer of the first two ships, the new Ukrainian crews underwent intensive training. They were assisted in this by Belgian and Dutch instructors, technicians and maintenance teams.
"The large ports of Odessa and the sea routes in the Black Sea are the lifeline of the Ukrainian economy. And this lifeline is constantly under threat. Ukraine may not win the war at sea, but it may well lose it there. And we simply cannot allow that to happen. That is why it is so important for maritime security and freedom of navigation that Ukraine be able to use these minehunters," commented Dutch Defence Minister Ruben Brekelmans.
As The Gaze reported earlier, the Netherlands has unveiled a new military aid package for Ukraine worth approximately €175 million, which includes the donation of 100 additional drone detection radars.