LOBELIA

The M921 Lobelia is a minehunter of the Belgian Navy of the Belgian Armed Forces. The ship belongs to the Tripartite-class, also known as the Flower-class in Belgium. The term Tripartite refers to the cooperation of three countries in this acquisition: Belgium, France and the Netherlands.

A minehunter is a ship designed for the detection and destruction of marine mines. The search for mines is done through sonar. The mines are destroyed with a blasting charge. This explosive charge is placed by divers or an underwater robot.

This ship was commissioned in 1989. Its godmother town is Diest in the province of Flemish Brabant. In 2011, M921 Lobelia participated in the NATO operation Unified Protector against the Libyan armed forces.

Nowadays, the same three countries of this class are again cooperating in a program to modernize and replace their minehunter fleet.

Arrival date: June 07, 2023