RV Belgica II: The new Belgian research vessel to replace the existing RV A962 Belgica

For 30 years RV Belgica has been the marine infrastructure for Belgian marine scientists working on the Belgian Part of the North Sea and in the marine realm stretching from Norway, over Ireland to Morocco. Even if the ship is still performing research activities for more than 180 days per year, the increasing number of technical breakdowns and the rising maintenance cost associated with her age makes the replacement by a new RV Belgica II a necessity for the Belgian marine science community.