Belgian Navy Tripartite-class minehunter BNS Bellis (M916) found an unexploded mine from the Second World War in the North Sea on September 13.
Personnel performing unexploded ordnance (UXO) destroyed the mine off the Belgian coast this morning, the navy informed.
Breaking! On Thursday night BNS Bellis found an unexploded mine from WWII! UXO destroyed this morning. This news emphasizes the lasting importance of our efforts monitoring our territorial waters and keeping our forces sharp through exercises like #SACO2018 . Keep up the spirit! pic.twitter.com/ckmmSr7RSt
— Belgian Navy ?? (@TheBelgianNavy) September 14, 2018
The mine was destroyed during the Belgian/Dutch joint exercise Sandy Coast 2018 which is taking place in the Belgian waters from September 10 to 28, 2018.
Apart from the two countries’ navies, the exercise involves different NATO units, with a total of eleven minehunters and 500 military personnel.
The aim of the exercise is to enhance the combat readiness of the participating forces so that they can respond in an adequate way to different real-world operational situations.
Video: Belgian Navy