News

17.07.14

The weather at sea

Planning a day at the seaside and you want to know what the weather forecast is? Surf to www.kustweerbericht.be or check the coastal weather forecast on your smartphone.

The agency for Maritime Services and Coast (MDK) makes a special weather forecast for the coast. It is updated four times a day and split between the westcoast (De Panne to Oostende) and the eastcoast (Oostende to Knokke-Heist). You can also see webcam images of several coastal municipalities.
16.07.14

Meeting salvage Baltic Ace wreck

July 14th, the governor of West-Flanders province chaired a meeting with regard to the salvaging of the wreck of the Baltic Ace. The Baltic Ace, a car carrier, collided with the container carrier Corvus J on the night of December 5th, 2012 and sank. This happened 65 kilometres off the Dutch coast, very close to Belgian waters.

Because the wreck is located in the centre of one of the busiest international shipping routes,it has been decided to salvage it completely. The Dutch ministry responsible for shipping traffic, started salvage works in May 2014.

At this meeting, the Dutch ministry provided the governor and the coast guard partners with a progress report on the ongoing works and a procedure was established on how to pass on information to the Belgian coast guard partners. The salvage works are expected to be finalized by the end of 2015.
14.07.14

Open door Koksijde Base

On Wednesday July 16th our coastguard partner Defence opens the doors of the aerial base Koksijde. Between 1pm and 5pm you can go and see the new NH90-NFH-helicopters, replacement for the Seaking helicopters.
Admission is free.

More information on the website of the ministry of Defence.
10.07.14

Inauguration P901 Castor

Today, July 10th, the P901 Castor, the Belgian Defence's new patrol vessel will be inaugurated in Zeebrugge naval base. Together with the P902 Pollux, still under construction, the new patrol vessels will take over the tasks of the three Ready Duty Ships Stern, Valcke and Albatros.

The second patrol vessel, Pollux, should be finalized within six months. It is the first time in 20 years time that the ministry of Defence has its own vessels built.

The new ships have a wide operational capability and will mainly be used for coast guard tasks in cooperation with Customs and the Waterway and River police. Every patrol vessel has a crew of 15, with room for another 15 passengers, which allows for interventions to be carried out together with other coast guard partners or in an international context.

Video Castor
07.07.14

Vacancy Coastal Division

Our coast guard partner Coastal Division is looking for a contract manager, a surveyor and a supervisor. More information on www.jobpunt.be. Apply before July 13.
04.07.14

Vacancy MUMM

Our coast guard partner the Operational Directorate for Natural Environments of the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences is recruiting a marine researcher who will work on research projects in the field of remote sensing of coastal waters project.
Applications, including a curriculum vitæ, should be received by 10th July 2014.
More information on http://www.mumm.ac.be/EN/Jobs/index.php
03.07.14

Navy Days 2014

During the the Navy Days on July 5th and 6th in the naval base in Zeebrugge,you get the chance to board Belgian and foreign navy vessels and there are various information booths. You can also enjoy different concerts and for the more adventurous there is a climbing tower.
Some of our coast guard partners also participate to this opendoor.

Free entrance - 10am until 18pm - Naval Base Zeebrugge
More information: Navy Days 2014
02.07.14

Frisbee Coast Guard

Interested in a fun coastguard frisbee? Grab your chance and post a picture of your child(ren) with a free wristband on the IKWV facebookpage (lifeguards)

You can get a free wristband with the lifeguards on the beach, the tourist information offices of the coastal municipalities, the first aid posts and public toilets and the newspapershops along the coast.
02.07.14

Vacancy Shipping Assistance Division

Our coast guard partner Shipping Assistance Division is looking to recruit maritime traffic operators. More information on vacancies: see www.jobpunt.be (only in Dutch). Applications must be received by July 13th.
30.06.14

Coast Guard Consulation Body 20 June 2014

Friday 20th of June the second meeting of the Coast Guard consultation body of 2014 took place in Bruges. A new project to monitor the presence of jellyfish at sea was discussed. Scientists suspect that the population of jellyfish is increasing. Because of the influence this could have on the environment and the food chain, this phenomenon deserves global follow-up. The past few years knew a significant rise in jellyfish along the Belgian coast.

The governor of West-Flanders outlined his newly added responsibility: as of June 1st he is appointed 'receiver of underwater cultural heritage'. This means that findings in the North Sea with a possible cultural and historical value are to be reported with the governor. The findings are entered into a database and after consideration, an advice is issued for the minister of the North Sea wether or not the find is deemed cultural heritage.

To conclude, the coast guard partners had the opportunity to learn more about OSR, an electronic logbook used to tackle disasters of great impact. Entries in this logbook happen in real time and are immediately visible to all parties concerned. It is being looked at if this system can be of use for the contigency plan for the North Sea.