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Exhaust system overheated during trials
The fire department of Bruges responsed to the 'Oostende (M940)' on the evening of Feb 3, 2026 after the exhaust system overheated at 7.30 p.m. during sea trials. Smoke had appeared near the exhaust due to a suspected technical defect. The fire department was able to cool the heated areas. "The ship and its crew were safe- The Belgian Defense launched technical investigation to determine the precise cause of the incident. More clarity was expected in the coming days.The minehunter collided with a floating pontoon in the port of Lorient on May 26, 2025. The composite bulbous bow was damaged. The ship had to go into dry dock for repairs and was therefore delivered later than planned. On Nov 3, the ship finally arrived in Zeebrugge for further completion by the navy.
Minehunter newbuilding collided with pontoon
The 'Oostende' collided with a floating pontoon in Lorient on May 26, 2025, damaging its bulbous bow. An Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV), which was attached to the pontoon, was damaged too. The bulbous bow, which is made of composite, had to be replaced. This will be done during a planned dry-docking period. The incident caused delays but not additional costs. At this stage, the ship was still entirely the responsibility of the contractors, Naval Group and Exail. The maneuver was therefore carried out by a civilian crew hired by the contractors. An investigation by the contractors should clarify exactly what happened, but it does not appear that any other critical systems such as the sonar were damaged. Once this investigation has been completed, the revised timeline for the 'Oostende's delivery will also become clearer . The delivery of the minehunterr was scheduled for July 23. This is not the first time the delivery has been delayed. The original schedule called for delivery in May 2024, but this date was changed to July 2025.
New minehunter arrived in Zeebrugge with delay after repair of collision damage
The 'Oostende-M 940' has finally arrived in the Naval Port of Zeebrugge on Nov 3. Belgian Navy's first new mine countermeasures vessel had been scheduled for delivery on July 23, but on May 26, the ship was damaged in the collision with a floating pontoon in the port of Lorient, damaging the composite bulbous bow. The ship had to be taken to dry dock for repairs. Belgium, in collaboration with the Royal Netherlands Navy, has ordered 12 City-class mine countermeasures vessels to replace the older Tripartite-class minehunters. The 'Oostende' is part of the new generation of Mine Warfare Vessels and the first ship in this binational rMCM (Replacement Mine Countermeasures) program. It will now undergo further installations and sea trials. The ship uses autonomous surface, underwater, and aerial drones. These enable the vessel to remotely detect, classify, and neutralize sea mines. The first delivery of unmanned systems is scheduled for the end of November. These will then be tested by the Belgian and Dutch navies. The rMCM program was awarded in 2019 to the Belgium Naval & Robotics consortium (Naval Group and Exail). This provides for the delivery of twelve Mine Warfare Vessels (six for Belgium, six for the Netherlands) and approximately 100 drones. Naval Group is responsible for the design and integration of the ships, while Exail is responsible for the drones and robotics solutions.The official handover to the Ministry of Defence is scheduled for Nov 7, during a formal ceremony. Until then, the ship remains the property of the Belgium Naval & Robotics consortium. Report with photo: https://www.schuttevaer.nl/nieuws/actueel/2025/11/04/belgisch-marineschip-had-een-aanvaring-nog-voor-de-oplevering-maar-is-nu-alsnog-aan-de-marine-overgedragen/
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