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Belgium Transfers First Tripartite Minehunter BNS Bellis to Bulgarian Navy
Belgium transferred the Tripartite-class minehunter BNS Bellis to Bulgaria on October 30, 2026, the first of four Belgian vessels intended for the Bulgarian Navy. The handover implements a trilateral memorandum involving Belgium, the Netherlands and Bulgaria that provides for seven minehunters in total. Bulgaria will finance maintenance, recommissioning and operational use, with Belgian industrial and technical support as the donor navies replace their Tripartite fleets through the rMCM programme. The transferred ships will strengthen Bulgarian mine-countermeasure capacity in the Black Sea and support training for Ukrainian crews operating the same class, alongside protection of shipping and maritime infrastructure.