According to information published by Business AM on March 22, 2023, the Belgian Defense Minister, Ludivine Dedonder, confirmed that Belgium will purchase a third patrol vessel to track the Russian ships.
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Castor class patrol vessel BNS Pollux. (Picture source: Belgian Navy)
The primary areas of operation for the Russian Navy are the Arctic, the Atlantic Ocean, the Baltic Sea, the Black Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea. Belgium, being a coastal country in Western Europe, could be affected by Russian naval activities in the North Atlantic and the North Sea.
Russian naval vessels, such as submarines or reconnaissance ships, could potentially engage in intelligence-gathering activities near Belgium or its NATO partners, which might heighten tensions in the region.
For example, in February 2023, a Russian spy ship sailed near the Belgian coast. This one would have taken advantage of it to map the sea bed.
One of the fears of the European authorities is the action that Russia could take against maritime energy infrastructures. The sabotage of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines in September 2022 marked a turning point.
Belgian Navy already uses its two-class patrol vessels, the BNS Castor and the BNS Pollux to monitor its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the North Sea.
