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The Belgian fire service responded to smoke on the new minehunter M940 Oostende in Zeebrugge, which Defense Minister Theo Francken termed a 'remarkable' incident. No fire was reported, but the firefighting team cooled overheated areas linked to a malfunctioning exhaust system.

The ship was delivered in November 2022 and had recently been in dry dock. Belgium and the Netherlands ordered twelve minehunters, six each, with the first vessel, Vlissingen, expected to arrive in the Netherlands later this month. The project budget has escalated to over $1.5 billion due to inflation, surpassing initial estimates by more than $250 million.