The head of federal science policy (Belspo) Arnaud Vajda was Martin Buxant’s guest this morning on bel RTL. He returned to the fate of the prestigious scientific research vessel, Belgicawhich has been stopped for several months in Zeebrugge. A project which cost 54 million euros.
The scientific research vessel “Belgica”, operated by the Federal Science Policy (Belspo), is currently immobilized in Zeebrugge, without crew, water or electricity.
This situation arises from contractual problems with its former operator, the French shipowner Genavir, which unilaterally terminated the contract a few months ago. Consequently, the ship has not put to sea since the end of June, and part of its missions planned for 2024 and 2025 are on hold.
For Arnaud Vajda, director of Belspo, “this is an unfortunate situation“. He explains that there is “no sailors within science policy, so we negotiated a partnership with the private sector“.
“This contract was established before the Covid-19 pandemic and before the explosion in energy costs, which made it difficult for the private partner to fulfill its obligations. continues the director.
A social dumping inspection
An inspection carried out at the end of 2023 by the Federal Public Service Mobility and the FPS Employment revealed a problem of social dumping, following a complaint lodged by the Latvian technical team of Belgica.
The latter claim that Genavir attempted to conclude a collective agreement in Latvia, in violation of the Maritime Labor Convention of the International Labor Organization (ILO), since the Belgica sails under the Belgian flag.
The Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (RBINS) confirmed that Genavir had “multiple opportunities to sort everything out“, but failed to act accordingly, resulting in the withdrawal of its license by the federal government. In response, the shipowner took legal action against the federal government and the FPS Mobility.
An uncertain future for Belgica
The future of the ship remains uncertain. The Belgica, a flagship ship for scientific research in Europe, has only sailed a third of the time planned in 2024. According to the IRSNB, “this year’s program has already been largely canceled, and we fear that next year’s program will meet the same fate“.
The institution emphasizes that it is crucial that Belgica can resume its activities in the North Sea. The process of finding a new operator is complex and could last several months, due to the formation of the next government and potential interventions within scientific institutions.
Arnaud Vadja certifies: “We are currently looking for another partner and are negotiating in parallel with Defense“,
With its 400 square meters of laboratories and modern measuring instruments, Belgica is an essential research tool for Belgian and European scientists. By 2022, the ship had received many requests from international researchers. It also serves as an auxiliary vessel for the marine component of Defence, which adds to its strategic importance.
belgium federal scientific policy belgica ship
