Belgium transferred the Tripartite-class minehunter BNS Bellis to the Bulgarian Navy during a ceremony at Zeebrugge Naval Base on Friday, October 30.
The Bulgarian naval flag was raised aboard the former Belgian Navy vessel, which has been renamed BNG Briz.
The minehunter will relocate to Burgas Naval Base once the necessary preparations are complete.
Briz is the first of four Belgian minehunters to be transferred under a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed by the defence ministers of Belgium, the Netherlands and Bulgaria on July 8. The agreement covers seven vessels in total.
Bulgaria is responsible for the costs of maintaining and recommissioning the ships and putting them into operation, and Belgium will contribute technical knowledge and industrial expertise.
Under the MOU, Bulgaria will pay to restore all seven vessels to NATO operational-readiness standards. Spending is capped at €6 million (US$6.7 million) per ship. The package also includes a crew training simulator, spare parts and additional equipment.
The Bulgarian Parliament approved the acquisition on August 26.
Bulgaria has also committed to supporting the training of Ukrainian crews who operate the same class. The commitment was made a condition of the transfer when the donation was announced in September 2025.
Ukraine has received three former Belgian and Dutch Tripartite-class vessels, the most recent being Henichesk, formerly Makkum.
"Thanks to the transfer of the ship to Bulgaria, a proven capability remains operational within NATO," said Phaleg.
Bulgaria already operates three Tripartite minehunters: Tsibar, Mesta, and Struma. In 2024 the Bulgarian Navy formed a Black Sea mine countermeasures task force with Romania and Turkey.
Belgium and the Netherlands are withdrawing their Tripartite-class fleets as they introduce 12 new mine countermeasures ships, six for each navy, under the joint rMCM programme. The first Dutch unit, HNLMS Vlissingen, was delivered in February.