Princess Elisabeth of Belgium godmother of the RV Belgica

Today in Ghent, Belgium, Princess Elisabeth of Belgium, Duchess of Brabant, christened the oceanographic research vessel built by C.N.P. FREIRE, S.A (FREIRE SHIPYARD) in 2021, RV Belgica.

Thomas Dermine, Secretary of State for Recovery and Strategic Investments, in charge of Scientific Policy, welcomed him to the naming ceremony of the research vessel Belgica, which was also attended by the director general of Freire Shipyard, Marcos Freire.

The new research vessel Belgica is owned by the Belgian State represented by the Federal Science Policy (BELSPO). Belgium will be managed by the l’Institut royal des Sciences naturelles de Belgique – Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (RBINS), in collaboration with the Ministry of Defense and an operator.

General characteristics of the RV BELGICA

Year of construction: 2021
Length: 71.40m
Beam: 16.80m
Draft: 4.80 m
Battery life: 30 days
Number of sea days: about 300 days / year
Capacity for scientists and crew: 26 + 14
Multipurpose research vessel: fisheries research, geology, biology, chemistry, oceanography, etc.
Study area: between 80° north latitude (Spitsbergen) and 28° north latitude, to the west bordered by the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and to the east up to 36° east longitude, including the Mediterranean.
Possibility of using AUVs (autonomous underwater vehicles), ROVs (remote controlled vehicles), tripods, buoys and any other scientific equipment to be put into the sea
Search possible to depths of 5000 m
Class 2 dynamic positioning
Silent boat (DNV-GL Silent R)
Ice-1C Ice Booster Category
2 dropkeels
Laboratory area (> 400m²): 5 dry laboratories, 3 wet laboratories, a scientific coordination and data acquisition room
Place for containers (7 * ISO20 containers)

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