Belgium could acquire an emergency towing capacity at sea

Obviously, the discussions between the federal government and Flanders are not easy because of the distribution of skills between the two levels of power, and therefore because of the distribution of costs for the acquisition of the tugboat.

Difficult negotiations

“As planned [la législation belge]rescue and towing at sea are the competences of the Flemish Regioncontinues the federal minister. An ETV in the North Sea could, however, also carry out several other coast guard functions which are mixed or rather federal powers, such as surveillance of certain areas or research on the marine environment. Depending on the type of ship, these tasks could also be assumed, which would enhance the capability and deployability of an ETV. Two avenues are therefore being studied, depending on which funding by one or other of the levels of power, or by both, will be indicated.”

“According to the governor of West Flanders, talks between the Flemish and federal authorities had been underway since 2023, but these would have failed”points out the MP in his parliamentary question, which Minister Van Tigchelt does not confirm, however. “The file will now be urgently included on the agenda of the new Flemish Minister of Mobility and Public Works.” (Annick De Ridder, N-VA), notes Kurt Ravyts. The arrival of a new federal government, still in negotiations, will perhaps speed up the file.

The Princess Elisabeth area in the North Sea

“The Belgian part of the North Sea is one of the busiest shipping areas in the world”continues Paul Van Tigchelt. With the creation of an energy island in the Princess Elisabeth zone in the North Sea, “special attention to maritime safety is more than necessary. Studies are already underway […] to determine what additional measures could be taken to preventively move the most at-risk vessels away from wind farms in bad weather, in order to avoid any collision. In this context, we are also studying a better maritime traffic plan in order to optimize the safety of navigation in the area. The commissioning of an ETV already constitutes one of the solutions to be explored further.”

How did the cost of the energy island explode?

That said, this ability “also has limitations.. “In bad weather, several ships could be in difficulty, which requires setting priorities. Therefore, a combination of measures and a coherent action plan are essential. In the meantime, I asked [l’administration] to continue discussions with all partners concerned […] so that a sustained vision for navigation safety in our North Sea can be developed.”