Belgian Navy christens new minehunter Oostende

The Belgian Navy has christened its new mine countermeasures vessel M940 Oostende, as part of the Belgian-Dutch rMCM program.

The christening ceremony, held on 24 June 2026, took place in the presence of Belgium’s Minister of Defense Theo Francken and Chief of Defence Air Chief General Frederik Vansina. The event highlighted the Navy’s continued modernization drive and its growing role within NATO’s mine countermeasures capabilities.

Built under the BENESAM Belgian-Dutch cooperation framework, Oostende represents a new generation of minehunters designed to operate not by entering minefields, but by controlling uncrewed systems from a safe distance.

Oostende recently completed its first sea trials in Douarnenez Bay off the coast of Brittany, where it tested a full suite of unmanned mine countermeasure systems alongside the Mine Countermeasures Module Group (MMG). These trials represented a major step forward, shifting operations from shore-based simulation using a mobile control container to real-time deployment directly from the ship.

During the campaign, Belgian Navy crews and MMG operators conducted integrated missions for the first time at sea, following initial phases focused on safe navigation, firefighting, damage control, and ship-handling under varied scenarios.

Oostende measures 82.6 metres in length, has a beam of 17 metres, displaces around 2,800 tonnes, and reaches speeds of up to 15.3 knots, with a range of more than 3,500 nautical miles. It is designed to operate with a crew of 63 personnel, supported by modular unmanned systems that redefine how modern mine warfare is conducted.

The vessel’s concept centres on deploying unmanned platforms that transport sensors and conduct mine detection and identification tasks at range. Surface drones act as forward carriers for underwater systems, which then carry out the most dangerous phases of mine countermeasure operations, including neutralisation, without the ship entering the threat zone.

The rMCM program is led by Belgium Naval & Robotics, a consortium formed by Naval Group and Exail, with Kership, a joint venture between Piriou and Naval Group, serving as the industrial prime contractor.

The program plans for a total of 12 mine countermeasure vessels: six for the Belgian Navy and six for the Royal Netherlands Navy.

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