Built for the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (RBINS), the Ministry of Defence and the Belgian Science Policy Office (BELSPO), research vessel Belgica has been launched at the Freire Shipyard in Vigo.
The new vessel will be ready to be delivered later this year, when it will replace the present Belgica, which has 36 years of use behind it. It offers significantly more space on board, as well as better facilities and is built to the highest standards for energy efficiency and low noise levels.
This advanced 71.40 metre multidisciplinary research vessel is being fitted with equipment to carry out research related to geology and sedimentology, fisheries, biology, chemistry, oceanography and hydrography. It will have an IMO polar code, making it possible to carry out research and survey tasks in the North Sea as well as in the Mediterranean and more northern areas.
