Belgian minehunter Narcis explained

Narcis (M923) is a of the Belgian Naval Component, launched in 1990, at the Mercantile-Belyard shipyard in Rupelmonde and christened by Mrs. Lafosse-De Backer, the wife of the then Mayor of Mons, on 14 March 1991. The patronage of Narcis was accepted by the city of Mons. It was the ninth of the Belgian Tripartite-class minehunters. The Belgian government chose to deploy the ship as part of its involvement with enforcing the Libyan no-fly zone.^[1]

In 2024, during the Russo-Ukrainian war, it was announced that Narcis will be donated to Ukraine at some time in the future. The ship will undergo full maintenance before donation. In total 3 Tripartite class ships were announced (as of 2024) to be donated to Ukraine. Belgium will provide basic training and the Netherlands offers on-the-job training for the crews.^[2]

Notes and References

1. Web site: 230 Belgische militairen nemen deel aan operatie Odyssey Dawn. Demorgen.be . 2011-03-20 . 2011-03-20.
2. Web site: Administrator . 2024-03-15 . Belgium Increases Military Aid to Ukraine with 300 Lynx Combat Vehicles & 3 Minehunter Ships Defense News March 2024 Global Security army industry Defense Security global news industry army year 2024 Archive News year . 2024-03-18 . Army Recognition . en-gb.