The Royal Netherlands Navy officially took delivery of the Vlissingen in Den Helder. This is the first mine countermeasure vessel the Netherlands has received under the replacement Mine CounterMeasure (rMCM) program, following Belgium’s initial delivery in November 2025.
The rMCM program is a major milestone in European defense collaboration. Developed by the Belgium Naval & Robotics consortium a partnership between Naval Group and Exail vessel construction and assembly were managed by Piriou.
Captain Ludo Portier, head of the Naval Systems (DGMR) procurement section, “For the first time. a Royal Netherlands Navy vessel has been built under contract by the Belgian Minister of Defence a milestone in which Belgium, acting as lead nation, helps deliver a naval ship for another country,” Portier stated.
Designed specifically to handle the complexities of modern mine warfare, the Vlissingen features:
- Dimensions: 82.6 meters overall length (LOA) with a 17-meter beam.
- Crew Capacity: Accommodates up to 63 personnel.
- Onboard Equipment: Features two 7-meter SOLAS RHIB boats, a 15-tonne capacity rear crane, and a 3-tonne overhead crane.
A defining characteristic of the new rMCM vessels is their capacity to launch and operate a comprehensive suite of uncrewed vehicles to detect, classify, and neutralize mines from a safe distance:
- Surface Drones: Two 12-meter surface vessels, weighing 19 tonnes each.
- Underwater Systems: Three autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) fitted with UMISAS 120 Exail sonar, combined with Seascan and K-Ster C Exail systems for mine identification and destruction.
- Aerial Drones: Two V200 Saab Skeldar unmanned aerial vehicles.