A group of 35 Ukrainian servicemen completed training aboard the Dutch destroyer Makkum (M857). Later, they will join the crew of the Vlaardingen (M863), which will be transferred to the Ukrainian Navy.
The Ministry of Defense of the Netherlands reported this on December 3.
The department said that the Ukrainian sailors underwent an intensive training course, since there were two crews on the ship at once. The training lasted two months.
Like the Vlaardingen, the Makkum destroyer will also be transferred to Ukraine. Together with the Belgian and British ships, they will become the basis of Ukraine's mine countermeasures potential.
It was emphasized that both Dutch destroyers will be transferred to Ukraine free of charge.
The ministry recalled that the aggressor country had laid a large number of mines in the Black Sea. The destroyers will help Ukraine clear the sea area after the war.
What is known about the Dutch destroyers Vlaardingen and Makkum
Vlaardingen and Makkum are Alkmaar-class destroyers, which were developed on the basis of an agreement between the navies of France, Belgium and the Netherlands.
Ships of this class are designed to hunt for sea mines, trawl them and transport various cargoes.
The first ship of this class was commissioned in 1981. A total of 35 destroyers were built.
It is known that in 2003 the Alkmaar destroyers, which are in service with the Netherlands, underwent modernization. They were equipped with improved electronics, a new sonar and a mine identification and neutralization system.
As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, in early November it became known that the future flagship of the Ukrainian Navy, the corvette Ivan Mazepa, successfully "fired" in Turkey.
And in August 2024, the corvette Ivan Vyhovskyi was launched - the second Ada-class ship that Turkey built for the Ukrainian naval forces.
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