In the seventies it became clear that to allow the development of Belgian marine research, there was a need for a dedicated Belgian research vessel. Till then converted vessels from the Belgian Navy were used.
In 1979 the Belgian government decided to the build such a vessel, the RV A962 Belgica. The keel was laid on the 17th of October, 1983 in the “Boelwerf” in Temse. The ship was baptised by Queen Fabiola on the 5th of July 1984.
To organise the activities of the RV A962 Belgica a convention between the ministry of Defence and Science Policy was setup which has, besides some updates, endured more than 37 years and has led to a very successful cooperation.
The Belgian Navy provided the crew, the operational support and a mooring in the home port of Zeebrugge whereas RBINS took the responsibility for the ship's budget, the scientific instrumentation and the planning of scientific campaigns.
The last scientific campaign was executed with the "old" RV Belgica end of March 2021. After more than 37 years of service the time has come for the ship to be replaced. To that end the Belgian Federal Government decided to build a new modern research vessel.
the new ship will be operational end-2021 and will be able to further support the marine research community for the next 30 years.
After a contest for schools and a voting by the general public, the new ship will continue to bear the historic and symbolic name Belgica.
The project was realized through a collaboration between the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (RBINS), the Ministry of Defense and the Belgian Science Policy Office (BELSPO).
Chronological overview
1979
The Belgian government decided to the build a Belgian research vessel, the RV A962 Belgica
1983
The keel was laid in the “Boelwerf” in Temse
1984
The ship was baptised by Queen Fabiola
2016
The Council of Ministers has decided to replace the RV Belgica with the acquisition of a new research vessel.
2021
On 13 September 2021, an agreement was signed for the transfer of the research vessel Belgica from the Kingdom of Belgium to Ukraine. This in the frame of a cooperation agreement signed in July 2021 between the Belgian Science Policy Office (BELSPO), the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (RBINS) and the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine. The RV Belgica departed for Odessa, her new home port, on 16 September 2021 for a second life in the Black Sea.
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