The Belgica, Belgium’s flagship oceanographic research vessel, has been docked and out of action for a year. The reason is an ongoing legal dispute between the Belgian government and the French company that operates it, VRT NWS reports.
The Belgica, a 54 million euro state-of-the-art research vessel, was commissioned by the Belgian government in 2022. Designed to operate at sea for up to 300 days a year, it is operated under contract by the French maritime company Genavir.
Although the ship remains under the command of three Belgian military officers, ongoing technical issues have triggered a legal dispute between Genavir and the Belgian state. According to VRT, Genavir has cancelled the contract and initiated legal proceedings against the government.
“The French company has only carried out the minimum necessary maintenance to prevent the ship from sinking”
“Since then, the French company has only carried out the minimum necessary maintenance to prevent the ship from sinking,” said David Cox of BELSPO, Belgium’s federal science policy office. MP Jasper Pillen of Open VLD described the situation as “an unacceptable disgrace”, highlighting that a 54 million euro scientific asset is “rusting at anchor in Zeebrugge”.
‘Pure waste’
Pillen obtained figures from the minister for Science Policy, Vanessa Matz of Les Engagés, showing that the Belgica was at sea for 248 days for scientific purposes in 2023, but only for 29 days in 2024.
No missions are scheduled for 2025, and the outlook for 2026 appears similarly bleak. “This is pure waste,” said Pillen, urging Matz to take immediate action.
However, a resolution appears unlikely in the short term. “The legal procedure is still ongoing,” said Cox, “and there appear to be delays in the French-speaking court of first instance in Brussels. Even if a new operator were selected tomorrow, the tendering process alone would take at least a year, so the Belgica will almost certainly remain inactive until late 2026.”
Matz has acknowledged this uncertainty and informed Parliament that it is currently impossible to guarantee the vessel’s return to service by 2026.
