The Belgian minehunter BNS Narcis and the Dutch HNLMS Vlaardingen have recently been handed over to Ukraine. The transfer took place during a ceremony at the Belgian naval base in Zeebrugge. Due to operational security reasons, this is only now being communicated publicly.
‘The minehunters are entering a new chapter, under a new flag, with a new mission,’ says Dutch Minister of Defence Ruben Brekelmans.
HNLMS Vlaardingen will now bear the name of the Ukrainian city Melitopol. At the end of 2025, HNLMS Makkum will also be transferred. That vessel will be renamed after the Ukrainian city of Henichesk. Both Ukrainian cities are currently illegally occupied by the Russian aggressor.
During the ceremony, Minister Brekelmans spoke about the donation and its ultimate goal: ‘A future in which the Black Sea is open and free, and the Ukrainian cities are no longer under occupation.’
Also read: Netherlands to provide Ukraine with two minehunters
Training
The donation is the result of intensive cooperation between Ukraine, Belgium and the Netherlands. Before the handover of the first two mine countermeasure vessels, the new Ukrainian crews underwent extensive training. The military personnel received support from Belgian and Dutch trainers, technicians and maintenance teams.
‘The major ports of Odesa and the shipping routes in the Black Sea are the lifeline of the Ukrainian economy,’ Brekelmans states. ‘And they are under constant threat. Ukraine may not win the war at sea, but it can certainly lose it there. We simply cannot allow that to happen. That is why it is so important for maritime security and freedom of navigation that Ukraine can deploy these minehunters.’
Also read: Royal Netherlands Navy decommissions minehunter Makkum
Tripartite class minehunters
The Alkmaar-class minehunters were jointly designed by the Netherlands, Belgium and France. France supplied the equipment, Belgium the electronic system and the propulsion is Dutch. Because of this cooperation between three countries, the international name of this ship class is the Tripartite class.
When the last minehunter was commissioned in 1989, the Royal Netherlands Navy had fifteen such ships. In 2011, as a cost-cutting measure, four minehunters were decommissioned out of the ten still sailing at the time: the Haarlem, Maassluis, Hellevoetsluis and Middelburg.
In 2022, the Urk was decommissioned as well. Reason was that the minehunter was at the end of its service life. On 27 March 2024, the Vlaardingen (M863) was decommissioned followed by the Makkum (M857) on 25 November 2024. Still in service at present are the HNLMS Schiedam (M860) and HNLMS Zierikzee (M862).
Picture: From now on, HNLMS Vlaardingen will bear the name of the Ukrainian city of Melitopol (photo by Dutch Ministry of Defence).
Also read: Netherlands donates vessels to Ukraine
