Spain's Freire Shipyard is preparing to lay the keel for a new oceanographic research vessel for Belgian interests. The vessel will be delivered to the government-run Belgian Federal Science Policy Office (BELSPO) and managed jointly by the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (RBINS) and the Belgian Ministry of Defence. The newbuild, which was planned as far back as 2005, will replace the 1984-built, 51.1m × 10m, BELSPO-owned RV Belgica, which has been used to undertake research and survey-related duties over the past three decades. Her replacement will specialise in completing missions related to oceanography, geology, sedimentology, fisheries, chemistry and hydrography - to name but a few disciplines.
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