Ukraine will receive an exploration vessel from Belgium

Belgium, in terms of the signed memorandum, plans to pass the 1984 exploration vessel Belgica to Ukraine. She will be used for environmental monitoring of the Black Sea.

According to the Ministry of Environment Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine, the vessel is in good condition and has unique built-in equipment, such as high-precision echo sounders.

“The protection of marine ecosystems is included in the ecological block of the Ukraine-EU Association Agreement, according to which our state must carry out regular marine monitoring in accordance with European standards. Now Ukraine is introducing the provisions of the EU Framework Directive on Marine Strategy for the gradual achievement of a good ecological state of the marine environment,” Roman Abramovsky, Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine stressed.

In addition, scientific monitoring of fish stocks, fundamental scientific research on the high seas, geological exploration of the seabed, and the like will be carried out, independent of fisheries.

The ministry has added that they will study the problem of raising the level of hydrogen sulfide. In turn, in Belgium, Ukrainian specialists were invited to join research work in the North Sea.