Legal Settlement Puts Belgian Navy's Subsea Security Vessel Back in Service
The Belgian government has achieved a breakthrough in resolving a prolonged legal dispute involving the research vessel Belgica II, a development that paves the way for her return into sailing for scientific missions and naval training in the first quarter of next year.
A multidisciplinary oceanographic and fisheries research vessel, Belgica II has been stuck at the Zeebrugge naval base owing to a dispute with French shipping company Genavir. Owned by the Belgian Science Policy Office (BELSPO) and managed by the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (RBINS), the vessel is operated by Genavir with the Belgian Navy providing the bridge personnel and the home port of Zeebrugge.
As the operator, Genavir is responsible for crewing and operational and maintenance support. Since June 2024, the 2020-built ship has been docked at Zeebrugge owing to a legal dispute between the Belgian authorities over unpaid invoices and the employment status of Latvian crew members. The dispute resulted in Belgium terminating Genavir’s contract, forcing the French company to go to court.
Belgian Science Policy Minister Vanessa Matz and RBINS Director General Michel Van Camp are both announcing that after months of immobilization, an agreement has been reached with Genavir allowing the vessel to resume its missions in oceanographic research, environmental monitoring, and training for the navy. The court cases will also be withdrawn.
Built at a cost of €54 million ($62.4 million) at the Freire Shipyard in Vigo, Spain, and launched in 2022, the vessel is mainly deployed in the North Atlantic Ocean, North Sea, Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea, Baltic Sea for a wide range of missions, including the key strategic task of protecting undersea cable infrastructures.
With a capacity of 28 scientists and 12 crew members, the ship can do research at water depths of 5000 meters. Apart from scientific missions, Belgica II is also used by the Belgian navy for training its sailors.
“After two years of immobilization, an agreement was reached between the Belgian State and Genavir, following negotiations that I conducted with the support of the Minister of Defence Minister Theo Franken. This agreement will allow the Belgica II to return to sea in the spring of 2026,” said Matz.
When it entered service, Belgica II replaced RV Belgica which had been in loyal service for 35 years. It is the third vessel to bear the name, with the first vessel being used by the famed Belgian polar explorer Adrien de Gerlache to chart a course towards the South Pole in 1897-1899.
Top image: Belgica (Marc Ryckaert / CC BY SA 4.0)
