{
    "title": "Construction delays on frigates ordered by Belgian navy",
    "modified_at": "2026-05-23 11:32:32",
    "published_at": "2026-05-23 11:32:00",
    "url": "https://www.belganewsagency.eu/construction-delays-on-frigates-ordered-by-belgian-navy",
    "short_url": "http://prez.ly/VvHd",
    "culture": "en_BE",
    "language": "EN",
    "slug": "construction-delays-on-frigates-ordered-by-belgian-navy",
    "body": "<p style=\"text-align: left\"><strong>The delivery of the Belgian navy&rsquo;s new frigates is facing further delays. Without an interim solution, the navy is likely to be left without any frigates, De Morgen reports.</strong></p><p style=\"text-align: left\">The Netherlands and Belgium jointly ordered four new warships from a Dutch shipyard. The Dutch Defence ministry announced this week that construction was facing further delays. The first ship for Belgium &ndash; which may wish to order a third &ndash; will not be ready before 2034, seven years later than planned.</p><p style=\"text-align: left\">The navy currently has two old frigates, the Leopold I and the Louise-Marie, which have recently <a href=\"http://prez.ly/uged\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">participated in NATO missions in the Baltic</a> and elsewhere. It seems unlikely that these will be able to remain in service until the middle of the next decade, according to De Morgen. </p><p style=\"text-align: left\">As a result, the navy faces the prospect of having to manage without frigates for years. Possible temporary solutions include converting minehunters or leasing frigates.</p><p style=\"text-align: left\">The bill for the new vessels continues to rise. It has already increased from 600 million to 1 billion euros per ship, and at least another 250 million is expected to be added to that.</p><p style=\"text-align: left\">Defence minister Theo Francken met his Dutch counterpart, Dilan Ye\u015filg&ouml;z, this month. It is reported that they agreed to find emergency solutions by the summer recess.</p><p style=\"text-align: left\">&nbsp;</p><p style=\"text-align: left\"><sup>The frigate Louise-Marie in Zeebrugge &copy; BELGA PHOTO MAAIKE TIJSSENS</sup></p><hr /><p><strong>Related news</strong></p><div id=\"bookmark-5a714feb-3d1f-491e-8029-6eb311b8de54\"\n     class=\"release-content-bookmark release-content-bookmark--horizontal\">\n\n            <a class=\"release-content-bookmark__thumbnail\"\n           href=\"http://prez.ly/5a9d\"\n           rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\n           target=\"_blank\"           style=\"background-image: url(https://prezly.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.uc.assets.prezly.com%2F23f288c0-a65f-4d5f-a8ad-341600b4d99c%2F-%2Fpreview%2F600x600%2F?ar=1%3A1&amp;fit=crop&amp;s=6869dde1e5a9e353a4768bb6b2458a1e)\"\n        ></a>\n    \n    <div class=\"release-content-bookmark__details\">\n\n                    <a class=\"release-content-bookmark__title\"\n               href=\"http://prez.ly/5a9d\"\n               rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\n               target=\"_blank\"               data-type=\"bookmark\"\n               data-track=\"Story WebBookmark Click\"\n               data-placement=\"content\"\n               data-id=\"5a714feb-3d1f-491e-8029-6eb311b8de54\"\n           >\n                Europe&#039;s Foreign ministers discuss options for Strait of Hormuz            </a>\n        \n                    <div class=\"release-content-bookmark__description\">\n                European Foreign ministers are discussing whether extending the mandate of the Aspides military mission \u2013 set up to protect shipping from attacks...            </div>\n        \n        <a href=\"https://www.belganewsagency.eu/\"\n           target=\"_blank\"\n           rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"\n           class=\"release-content-bookmark__provider\"\n        >\n            <img class=\"release-content-bookmark__provider-icon\" src=\"https://avatars.prezly.com/favicon?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.belganewsagency.eu%2Feuropes-foreign-ministers-discuss-options-for-strait-of-hormuz&newsroom=6b71e247-a9ba-4732-aaa3-88be14c119db\" aria-hidden=\"true\" />\n            belganewsagency.eu        </a>\n    </div>\n</div>\n",
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    "author": {
        "first_name": "Flanders",
        "last_name": "News Service"
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}