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.
