The Netherlands, Belgium and Bulgaria have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen maritime security in the Black Sea through the transfer of seven mine countermeasure vessels to the Bulgarian Navy.
The agreement was signed by the defence ministers of the three countries during the NATO Summit in Ankara and covers the transfer of three Dutch Alkmaar-class minehunters and four Belgian Flower-class minehunters.
Both vessel types are based on the Tripartite-class mine countermeasure design developed through cooperation between Belgium, the Netherlands and France.
The ships will enhance Bulgaria’s ability to detect and neutralize sea mines and support efforts to protect commercial shipping routes in the Black Sea, where mine threats have increased since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine.
The transfer builds on Bulgaria’s previous acquisition of two Dutch minehunters in 2021, further expanding the country’s mine countermeasures capabilities and strengthening NATO’s maritime posture on its Eastern Flank.
The newly acquired vessels will contribute to the Black Sea Mine Countermeasures Task Group, established by Bulgaria, Romania and Türkiye to improve regional maritime security and ensure freedom of navigation.
The task group plays a key role in monitoring and clearing potential mine threats while enabling safer passage for commercial and military vessels operating in the Black Sea.
The Alkmaar-class minehunters are variants of the Tripartite-class vessels designed for mine detection and clearance operations. Built during the 1980s and 1990s, the ships are equipped with mine-hunting sonar systems and remotely operated mine disposal systems.
The Netherlands and Belgium have been gradually replacing their ageing Tripartite-derived minehunters with next-generation mine countermeasure capabilities.
Recently, the Belgian Navy christened its new mine countermeasures vessel M940 Oostende, as part of the Belgian-Dutch rMCM program.
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.