Belgian Navy Vessel Joins NATO's Northern MCM Fleet

Tripartite-class minehunter BNS Lobelia is the latest ship to have joined NATO mine countermeasures group Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1 (SNMCMG1).

As per a social media post at the end of last month, the Belgian Navy vessel, commissioned in 1988, and her 45-strong crew recently sailed into the Baltic Sea to join with the other six vessels currently making up the fleet.

The entry read: “Led by Belgium since January, the group, joined by our ship Lobelia, will continue its operation Baltic Sentry.

“This operation was launched following acts of sabotage of underwater cables and pipelines. Belgium thus confirms its commitment to maintaining stability and security in this strategic area.”

Command of SNMCMG1 passed in January from outgoing chief and German Navy Commander Beata Król to Belgian Navy Commander Erik Kockx. The Royal Netherlands Navy vessel HNLMS Luymes is currently its flagship.

Swedish Navy minesweeper HSwMS Ulvön also joined SNMCMG1 at the end of February. The deployment came less than a year after Sweden joined NATO; HSwMS Ulvön is the first Swedish ship to deploy for an extended period as part of one of NATO's standing forces.

SNMCMG1 is one of four mission-ready NATO fleets coordinated from Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM), headquartered in Northwood, United Kingdom, the central command of all NATO maritime forces. It operates mainly in the North Sea, Baltic Sea, and the Atlantic Ocean.

As well as its standing fleets, the Baltic Sentry mission to enhance the security of CUI is being backed by uncrewed systems. As per a recent NATO statement, Baltic Sentry will combine existing surface and subsea assets and maritime patrol aircraft with a range of new technologies “including a small fleet of naval drones.”

Baltic Sentry also follows hot on the heels of the permanent launching of Nordic Warden by the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) — ten north-European NATO allies led by the U.K. 

Nordic Warden uses AI to assess data from various sources, including the Automatic Identification System (AIS) ships use to broadcast their position, to calculate the risk posed by each vessel. The system sends out alerts to JEF and NATO allies if it calculates there is a potential risk to CUI.

• You can read more updates on the Belgian Navy’s official Facebook page