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Home» News»Bulgaria greenlights procurement of two former Dutch Navy mine countermeasure vessels
Bulgarian Navy (Credit: NATO/SNMCMG2/Facebook)

Bulgaria greenlights procurement of two former Dutch Navy mine countermeasure vessels

According to a local newspaper, the Bulgarian government green-lighted the acquisition of two Tripartite-class mine countermeasure vessels (MCM) from the Royal Netherlands Navy for around EUR2.4 million.

Nathan Gain 14 Nov 2019

The governmental approval now authorizes the Bulgarian Defense Minister, Krassimir Karakatchanov, to conclude an intergovernmental agreement with the Netherlands. The purchase of two former Dutch Navy minesweepers was first announced in September, when the Deputy Defense Minister, Anatoly Velichkov. According him, the total budget was then worth EUR3.5 million, with an extra EUR1.5 million to be spent for the vessels’ upgrade. 

The Bulgarian Navy already operates one Tripartite-class minesweeper it acquired in 2004 from the Belgian fleet. After an overhaul phase in 2009, the former M922 Myosotis became operational within the Bulgarian fleet and renamed « Tsibar ». 

The Tripartite-class MCM ships were built in the 1980s for the Belgian, Dutch and French navies. A total of 40 ships have been produced, with some of them gradually sold or transferred to Pakistan, Indonesia, Latvia and Bulgaria. 

On its part, the Royal Netherlands Navy will start replacing its ageing fleet of MCM vessels from 2023. Under the MCM program launched with the Belgian Navy, the two navies are to be equipped with around 100 drones, constituting approximately ten drone systems (toolboxes). Six ships are destined for the Dutch Navy, while the other six will be delivered to the Belgian Navy.

Bulgaria Dutch Navy Mine Warfare Minehunter Royal Netherlands Navy Tripartite-class 2019-11-14
Tags Bulgaria Dutch Navy Mine Warfare Minehunter Royal Netherlands Navy Tripartite-class
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Authors

Posted by : Nathan Gain
Nathan is based in Namur, Belgium. He holds an MA in modern history with a minor in international relations from the Catholic University of Louvain (UCL – Belgium). Fascinated by military history he naturally turned to the defense sector after graduating and is particularly interested in Northern European and Belgian defense issues as well as in anything related to naval aviation.

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