Belgium Hands Minehunter BNS Bellis to Bulgaria — the First of Seven Ships for NATO's Black Sea Mine-Clearing Force

Belgian Defense officially transferred the Tripartite-class minehunter on October 30 under a trilateral agreement with the Netherlands and Bulgaria covering seven vessels in total, Naval News reported — and Bulgaria will also use the ships to help train Ukrainian naval crews.

Awaaz Punjab Investigations Desk31 October 20264 min readRead in all 3 languages

Belgium has officially transferred the Tripartite-class minehunter BNS Bellis to the Bulgarian Navy, the first of four Belgian minehunters slated for Bulgaria, in a handover carried out on October 30, Naval News reported on Saturday.

Source: Naval News

The handover sits inside a broader trilateral Memorandum of Understanding between Belgium, the Netherlands and Bulgaria, which outlines the transfer of seven minehunters in total to the Bulgarian fleet — four from Belgium and three from the Netherlands.

Brussels Morning, also reporting the October 30 transfer, said the vessel will integrate into joint operations with the Black Sea Mine Countermeasures Task Group, the Bulgarian-Romanian-Turkish mission set up to clear drifting mines from the Russia-Ukraine war out of Black Sea shipping lanes.

Source: Brussels Morning

Belgium and the Netherlands are phasing out their Tripartite fleets as they modernise through the Replacement Mine Counter Measures (rMCM) programme, moving to a new generation of unmanned systems. Bulgaria will finance the maintenance, recommissioning and operational deployment of the transferred ships, supported by Belgian industrial expertise and technical know-how, Naval News reported.

Lieutenant-General Bernard Phaleg, Belgium's Director General Material Resources and National Armaments Director, highlighted the strategic alignment of the transfer during the handover proceedings, according to the reporting. The remaining three Belgian Tripartite minehunters designated under the agreement are undergoing scheduled overhauls and technical checks.

Beyond its own waters, Bulgaria will use the ships to support the training of Ukrainian naval crews who operate the same class of vessels, Naval News reported. Ukraine has already received Tripartite-class minehunters from Belgium and the Netherlands for its own Black Sea mine problem.

Mine countermeasures have become a standing NATO task in the Black Sea since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine scattered naval mines — including drifting mines — across one of the world's busiest grain and energy shipping corridors. Bulgaria, Romania and Türkiye run the joint task group keeping those lanes open.

Sources

Naval News, Oct 31 2026 (Belgian Defense officially transferred Tripartite-class minehunter BNS Bellis to the Bulgarian Navy on Oct 30; first of four Belgian minehunters; trilateral MoU with Belgium, Netherlands and Bulgaria covers seven vessels in total; Belgium/Netherlands phasing out Tripartite fleet under the rMCM programme; Bulgaria finances maintenance, recommissioning and deployment with Belgian industrial support; Lt-Gen Bernard Phaleg; Bulgaria will use the assets to support training of Ukrainian naval crews operating the same class)

Brussels Morning, Oct 31 2026 (Belgium officially transferred BNS Bellis to the Bulgarian Navy on Oct 30 under the trilateral agreement; vessel to integrate into joint operations with the Black Sea Mine Countermeasures Task Group alongside Romania and Turkiye; remaining three Belgian minehunters undergoing scheduled overhauls and technical checks)