Belgium transfers four minehunters to Bulgaria
Belgium is transferring four minehunters to Bulgaria, the council of ministers has decided. The ships will be modernised by Bulgaria at Belgian companies at a cost of 24 million euros.
According to Defence minister Theo Francken, the deal is a “win-win”. “Bulgaria will receive ships that it can deploy in the Black Sea and our Belgian industry will receive a boost of 24 million euros in employment and high-tech contracts,” he said. “In this way, we are strengthening not only NATO but also our own economy.”
The transfer also benefits the Defence ministry, Francken said. A sales procedure would have been long and uncertain, with risks of high costs for maintaining or dismantling unsold ships. Thanks to the transfer, the ministry saves those costs and the navy can focus on commissioning the new generation of mine countermeasure vessels.
Bulgaria is fully financing the modernisation and maintenance of at least four Belgian - and possibly three Dutch - ships in Belgium. Belgian companies are therefore directly involved in the renewal of this fleet. Their knowledge and expertise can also be used afterwards for long-term support of the Bulgarian navy.
The Lobelia minehunter departing from Zeebrugge for a NATO mission, March 2025 © BELGA PHOTO MAAIKE TIJSSENS
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