Belgian Minister of Defense and Foreign Affairs Philippe Goffin visits Naval Base at Zeebrugge.

On Monday, January 27 2020, the Belgian Minister of Defense and Foreign Affairs, Philippe Goffin, travelled to the naval base in Zeebrugge. It was a good opportunity to discover the Minehunter Bellis and to meet its crew but also to see the innovative projects and equipment presented by the Belgian Navy.

For the occasion, Rear Admiral Wim Robberecht explained to the Belgian Minister of Defense and Foreign Affairs, the vision for the future of the Belgian Navy. Were mentioned among many topics, the future acquisitions and the role of the Navy within the EMASOH mission in Strait of Hormuz.

After that briefing, the Minister was invited to visit the naval installations and attended different presentations of innovative projects and equipment such as the remotely operated underwater vehicle manufactured by SAAB; the connected glasses allowing remote diagnoses and repairs on the different ships and last but not least, the training simulator for the firefighters thanks to VR helmets.

To pleasantly close the day, the Lieutenant Commander Olivier Devis took the Belgian Minister of Defense and Foreign Affairs on a tour of the Minehunter Bellis. Thanks to the visit of the operational room, the bridge or whether the front deck, the minister got a global vision of the ship functionalities. Finally, he participated in "Mine Action" demonstration with the launching of the Seafox, the well-known Mine Disposal Unmanned Underwater Vehicle.