The Oostende, the premier mine countermeasures vessel in the Belgian-Dutch rMCM programme designated for the Belgian Navy, embarked on its initial sea trials from Concarneau on 17 July 2024.
This trial phase aims to assess the vessel’s performance ahead of its scheduled delivery in summer 2025. The rMCM programme, led by Belgium Naval & Robotics – a consortium comprising Naval Group and Exail – involves Kership (a joint venture between Piriou and Naval Group) as the industrial prime contractor.
“This first test campaign for a production ship is a technically very important and symbolically very powerful moment: it is the first time that a ship of this type has taken to sea, and this has been possible thanks to the mobilisation of our teams and our partners since the construction of this ship was launched three years ago,” stated Clémence Picard-Destelan, Naval Group’s onboard manager for the test campaign.
Launched in 2021, the Oostende was set afloat on 29 March 2023, followed by the second vessel, the Vlissingen, for the Royal Netherlands Navy, on 19 October 2023, and the Tournai on 24 June 2024. The fourth ship, the Scheveningen, is expected to launch in December 2024. Seven of the twelve ships in the series are currently under construction, each at varying stages of completion.
The Oostende is slated for delivery in Zeebrugge, Belgium, in summer 2025, with the subsequent ships to be delivered progressively until mid-2030.
Awarded in 2019 to Belgium Naval & Robotics, the rMCM programme is a significant component of European defence cooperation. Naval Group is responsible for ship design, overall integration, and testing and commissioning of the mission system. The ships are constructed and assembled by Piriou, under the industrial project management of Kership. Exail oversees the drones’ mission system, with most of these drones being produced and maintained in Belgium.
The solution procured by the Belgian and Dutch navies represents a paradigm shift in mine warfare, keeping the ship and its control and mine-fighting personnel at a safe distance from danger. This approach also allows the clearance of mined areas ten times faster than traditional methods.
These mine countermeasure vessels measure 82.6 metres in length and 17 metres in width, with a displacement of 2,800 tonnes. Crewed by 63 personnel, they can reach a maximum speed of 15.3 knots and have a range exceeding 3,500 nautical miles.
The vessels are equipped with the Exail UMISOFT System, including two unmanned surface vehicles (Exail Inspector 125), three autonomous underwater vehicles (A-18 with Exail UMISAS 120 sonar), two towed sonars (T-18 with Exail UMISAS 240 sonar), two Mine Identification & Disposal Systems (Exail Seascan and K-Ster C), two unmanned aerial vehicles (UMS Skeldar’s V200), and one Exail influence mine sweeping system integrating five CTM magnetic modules and one PATRIA acoustic module.
Additionally, the vessels have an embarkation capacity for two SOLAS rigid hull inflatable boats, each measuring 7 metres. For handling operations, they are equipped with two side launch and recovery systems for surface drones or commando boats, a 15-tonne dedicated rear crane, and a 3-tonne overhead crane.
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