Ukraine receives BNS Narcis and Zr.Ms. Vlaardingen from NATO allies
Ukraine receives BNS Narcis and HNLMS Vlaardingen from NATO allies (defensie.nl)
Ukraine has received mine countermeasure vessels from Belgium and the Netherlands, including BNS Narcis and Zr.Ms. Vlaardingen, the Dutch Ministry of Defense reports.
According to the ministry, Zr.Ms. Vlaardingen has been renamed Melitopol.
The handover took place at the Marinebasis Zeebrugge (Naval Base) in Belgium, but for security reasons the event was announced only after the fact. By the end of the year, Ukraine will also receive another minehunter, Zr.Ms. Makkum, which will be renamed Henichesk.
During the ceremony, Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans expressed hope that the Black Sea would once again become free and open, and that no Ukrainian city would ever be under occupation again.
"The minehunters are entering their next chapter under a new flag, with a new mission. The main ports of Odesa and the Black Sea shipping lanes are vital to Ukraine's economy — and they remain under constant threat. Ukraine may not win the war at sea, but it could certainly lose the war on land. We simply cannot allow that," Brekelmans said.
