Belgium and the Netherlands will transfer two minesweepers to Ukraine

Two minesweepers will be named after the temporarily occupied cities of “Melitopol” and “Genichesk”.

This was reported by the Ministry of Defense of the Netherlands.

The Belgian ship BNS Narcis and the Dutch Zr.Ms. Vlaardingen were handed over during a ceremony at the Belgian naval base of Zeebrugge. The ceremony took place some time ago, but the news was made public only now for “operational safety reasons”.

Zr.Ms. Vlaardingen will be named after the temporarily occupied city of Melitopol. The country will also hand over another ship, Zr.Ms. Makkum, by the end of the year, which will be named after Genichesk, which is also under occupation.

In December 2024, the crew of the Ukrainian Navy completed training on it.

Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans noted that Ukraine’s ports and shipping lanes in the Black Sea are the lifeblood of the Ukrainian economy, but they are under constant threat.

“That is why it is so important for maritime security and free passage that Ukraine can use mine clearance vessels,” Brekelmans concluded.

USM previously reported that the minesweepers “Cherkasy” and “Chernihiv” had completed their NATO Level 1 assessment.