Belgian Navy News

Damen Naval has contracted RENK to supply the gearbox systems for the new anti-submarine warfare (ASW) frigates.The Dutch shipyard is building four new frigates, two each for the Royal Netherlands Navy and the Belgian navy.The contract includes eight gearboxes that are part of the CODLAD (COmbined Diesel-eLectric And Diesel) propulsion system.RENK's Dutch subsidiary Schelde Gears will provide support in design and service activities.The first gearboxes are due to arrive for installation in October 2025…

The 2023 Maritime Risk Symposium (MRS) will be held Nov. 14-16, 2023, as an in-person event, hosted by Maritime College, State University of New York (SUNY) at the Maritime Academic Center. The theme of the 14th annual event is “Managing Impacts of Supply Chain Disruptors, Renewable Energy, Emerging Technology on the Maritime Transportation System (MTS)” with a focus on offshore infrastructure risk and disruptors. Founded in 1874, Maritime College is the oldest maritime college in the United States, providing mariner training for 150 years.

The Belgium Naval & Robotics consortium, composed of Naval Group and ECA Group, won the contract to supply 12 minehunting vessels to the Belgian and Dutch navies. Equipped with around 100 drones, constituting approximately 10 drone systems (toolboxes), six ships are destined for the Belgian Navy, while the other six will be delivered to the Dutch Navy.The 10-year contract is worth nearly $2.3B. After a three-year design phase, Belgium Naval & Robotics will launch the production…

Navies operate on a spectrum between deterrence and defense, to include offensive operation, support of foreign policy, and power projection to civil affair and humanitarian assistance and disaster response. Many have constabulary responsibilities, and it could be argued that, with the exception of the largest navies, most are more like a coast guard than a military force in their normal responsibilities.Every Navy is different. Yes, they all share similar challenges of acquisition…

Belgium Naval & Robotics has launched an industrial offer anchored in Belgium to respond to a call for tenders issued by the Belgian and Dutch navies for the supply of 12 mine hunters.Belgium Naval & Robotics offers the Belgian Navy a solution whose prime contractor is in Brussels and involves many local players spread throughout the country."This partnership with FSR illustrates our strong relationship with the Belgian Defense Technological and Industrial Base and our desire to build a long-term relationship with the Belgian and Dutch Navies," explained Jean-Michel Orozco, Senior Vice-President Mission Systems, Drone & Cyber Security at Naval Group.Flanders Ship Repair (FSR) shipyards will be responsible for the manufacture of many mechanical parts and sub-assemblies…

System integrator Alewijnse Marine Systems said it has won an order for an electrical systems refit aboard RV Belgica, an oceanographic research vessel owned by the Belgian state. Prior to the assignment, Alewijnse carried out a year-long research project on a limited lifetime extension of the vessel. The refit will start in April 2016 and take several months to complete. RV Belgica celebrated her 30th anniversary in 2014 and renovations are necessary for the ship to continue in active service for another seven years.

System integrator Alewijnse Marine Systems has completed electrical repairs on the Belgica, also launching an appraisal of a possible limited lifetime extension for the ship. RV Belgica, a research vessel owned by the Belgian state, suffered water damage to the engine room on July 19, 2015, in which wiring, motors and pumps were damaged. Alewijnse was contracted to renew the damaged cables and replace some of the starter panels for various pumps and engines. The repairs were carried out at the Naval Base in Zeebrugge.

Imtech has received new orders for new and existing ships from the Royal Netherlands and Belgian navies worth over $37.6m. Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding (Vlissingen, the Netherlands), builder of the new logistic support ship Karel Doorman of the Royal Netherlands Navy, granted Imtech the contract for the design, production, delivery and implementation of various technological solutions on board this Joint Support Ship (JSS). Imtech also obtained orders for a technological upgrade of the Royal Netherlands Navy's supply vessel 'Hr. Ms. Amsterdam' dating from 1995 and a technological upgrade of two M-class frigates owned by the Belgian Navy. The new logistic support ship Karel Doorman, also called a Joint Support Ship (JSS), will replace the supply ship Hr. Ms.

The Services Department of Atlas Elektronik has reported that, in future, the company will provide support to 16 mine warfare systems of the type IMCMS (Integrated Mine Countermeasure System) for the Belgian Navy and the Royal Netherlands Navy. The corresponding agreement with ATLAS has been signed by Belgium’s Minister of Defense. With a term of fifteen years, the contract covers the entire life-cycle of the Belgian and Netherlands mine countermeasure vessels. These comprise ten units of the Netherlands ALKMAAR class and six of the Belgian FLOWER class. ATLAS is the system leader and responsible for integration of the IMCMS on the vessels.

IXSEA announced the signing of a contract with the Belgian Navy to provide an integrated survey solution for their mine warfare data center (MWDC), the company announced in Paris on November 15. The purpose of the MWDC is to collect hydrographic data and to produce electronic and paper charts with additional military layers. IXSEA's integrated survey solution (ISS) will be used onboard minehunters for route survey, homeland security and REA (rapid environment assessment). The ISS includes state of the art imagery sensors : COTS IXSEA’s Synthetic Aperture Sonar (SHADOWS), IXSEA's new Gradiometer, Kongsberg’s Multibeam Echosounder, and IXSEA's GAPS, a positioning and motion sensor.