Tournai (The Brussels morning Newspaper):Kership builds mine countermeasure ships for the Belgian Navy while Naval Group oversees the project. The Tournai the third ship enhances capabilities and will be delivered in 2026.
Kership was like the main builder in charge of making sure the launch went well. They oversaw building putting together and setting up the ship or project parts. Their job was to handle the hands-on stuff during the launch to make sure everything was done right and the project went smoothly. Naval Group was like the big boss overseeing everything. They managed the whole project from design to quality control to make sure Kership’s work met the project’s goals. Naval Group’s job was to put together all the parts and make sure the project was done on time and met all the requirements.
When will the Tournai the third ship in the rMCM program and second for the Belgian Navy be delivered to Belgium?
The Tournai which is the third ship in the rMCM program and the second one for the Belgian Navy will be given to Belgium in 2026. This ship will make the Belgian Navy better at dealing with mines keeping up with the program’s aim of using top-notch maritime technology. The first ship Oostende was for Belgium, launched in March 2023. Then came Vlissingen for the Netherlands in October 2023. The fourth ship Scheveningen for the Dutch Navy started in July 2023 and will launch in December 2024. These ships are upgrading and growing the mine countermeasure abilities for each navy.The first ship Oostende for the Belgium Navy will arrive in summer 2025 at Zeebrugge port. After that two ships per year will be delivered until mid-2030. This way new ships will join the navies slowly bringing in advanced mine countermeasure abilities step by step.
What is the significance of the rMCM program awarded to Belgium Naval & Robotics in 2019?
The rMCM program was won by Belgium Naval & Robotics in 2019 which is a team of Naval Group and Exail. They will provide twelve mine countermeasure ships and drones to the Belgian and Dutch Navies. France will also use the ship design for six of its ships. This program shows how European countries can work together in defense. It will set a standard for mine countermeasures not just for Belgium, the Netherlands and France but also for other navies in Europe and worldwide. Naval Group is like the boss in charge of designing the ships and making sure everything works well. Kership a team of Naval Group and Piriou is the main builder for the twelve ships constructing them in Concarneau and Lanester.
Exail helps with the drone system mostly made in Ostend Belgium. Ship maintenance will happen in Belgium with the Belgian Navy and Naval Group Belgium along with Flanders Ship Repair in Zeebrugge. These special ships can carry and operate different types of drones surface, underwater and aerial. They use advanced technology to find and deal with mines can handle underwater explosions and stay hidden from detection during their missions.
