The governments of Belgium and the Netherlands have agreed to transfer a total of seven mine countermeasure (MCM) vessels to the Bulgarian Navy —four from Belgium and three from the Netherlands— along with a training simulator and spare parts. The Dutch units, belonging to the Alkmaar-class, will be delivered between 2027 and 2028, as confirmed by the Dutch State Secretary of Defence, Gijs Tuinman.
The transfer of these ships is made possible thanks to the Belgian-Dutch binational program to procure 12 new City-class mine countermeasure vessels, built by Naval Group in partnership with Exail. This ambitious project, awarded in 2019 under the rMCM program, includes six units for each country, with deliveries staggered through 2030. The new ships, measuring 82.6 meters in length and displacing 2,800 tons, will be equipped with autonomous systems —USVs, AUVs, and UAVs— for mine detection, identification, and neutralization, thereby reducing crew exposure and increasing operational effectiveness.
The transfer to Bulgaria is part of a broader NATO effort to strengthen its members’ mine warfare capabilities in the Black Sea. A recent example is Romania’s incorporation of the M 271 Captain Constantin Dumitrescu, a Sandown-class vessel decommissioned by the Royal Navy and transferred under a bilateral agreement.
These actions aim to enhance interoperability and improve responsiveness to threats in a region of high strategic sensitivity, marked by the war in Ukraine, Russian naval activity, and the need to ensure safe maritime routes for trade and energy supply.
For the Bulgarian Navy, the arrival of these seven vessels will represent a qualitative leap in its mine detection and neutralization capability, enabling full integration into NATO multinational operations and contributing more effectively to collective security in the Black Sea. Tuinman described the operation as “a significant contribution to security in the Black Sea,” stressing that the measure responds to rising tensions on NATO’s eastern flank.
Related: Naval Group completed sea trials of the first mine countermeasure vessel built for the Belgian Navy