The Vlissingen, the second mine countermeasure vessel of the rMCM program and the first one for the Royal Netherlands Navy, was delivered on February 27, 2026, in Den Helder.
The keel of Vlissingen was laid in Lanester, France, in June 2022, and the vessel began its maiden sea trials from Concarneau, France, in April 2025.
The vessels under this program have a length of 82.6 meters, a beam of 17 meters, and a displacement of 2,800 tonnes. They can achieve a maximum speed of 15.3 knots.
These ships, specialized in mine warfare, are the first to have the capacity to carry, launch or fly and reconfigure a set of surface drones (ships measuring around 12 meters and weighing 19 tonnes), underwater drones and aerial drones.
They are the first to implement a fully robotic system for the detection, classification, identification and neutralisation of mines. They can withstand underwater explosions and have very low acoustic, electrical and magnetic signatures, in line with the missions to be carried out.
“This is a highly symbolic and huge step in the pursue of a strong and trustful relationship between our nations. But it also tightens our bond and allows the Netherlands to benefit from an innovative and performative ship, who will deeply reinforce the naval power of their Navy. It is also a world premiere, as Belgium delivers for the first time a vessel for another nation, an ally,” Vincent Martinot-Lagarde , Naval Group surface ships Executive Vice President, said.
“With the transfer and arrival of HNLMS VLISSINGEN, Belgium and the Netherlands take a historic and exceptional step within their binational programme. For the first time within our BeNeSam cooperation framework, a Royal Netherlands Navy vessel has been built under contract by the Belgian Minister of Defence — a milestone in which Belgium, acting as lead nation, helps deliver a naval ship for another country,” Captain (Navy) Ludo Portier , Section Head Procurement Naval Systems (DGMR), commented.
“With the delivery of Vlissingen, Exail continues its contribution to the Belgian-Dutch rMCM programme, in close cooperation with Naval Group and industrial partners. This milestone reflects our recognized expertise in autonomous mine countermeasure systems and our commitment to supporting the Royal Netherlands Navy with advanced, fully integrated unmanned capabilities. Together, we are contributing to strengthening NATO’s maritime security and European operational readiness,” Jérôme Bendell , Director of the Exail Maritime Business Line, stated.
Awarded in 2019 to Belgium Naval & Robotics, the consortium formed by Naval Group and Exail, the rMCM program is a major component of European defence cooperation.
A tripartite agreement between France, Belgium, and the Netherlands was signed in September 2023 to formalize their cooperation in the field of mine warfare.
Naval Group is responsible for the design of the vessels. Exail designs and delivers the naval drones. The overall integration, testing and commissioning of the mission system will be carried out in close collaboration with Exail, ensuring full operational coherence between the vessels and the unmanned capabilities.
The vessels are being built and assembled by Piriou, under the industrial project management of Kership, a joint venture between Naval Group and Piriou.
Oostende, the first mine countermeasures vessel in the Belgian-Dutch rMCM program, intended for the Belgian Navy, was launched in March 2023, while the sea trials were completed in July 2025.