Maritime Capabilities Coalition provides Ukraine with minesweepers, boats and drones - Ministry of Defense
"The Maritime Coalition, established in December 2023 as part of the Contact Group on Assistance to Ukraine to support our country at sea and on rivers, provides Ukraine with minesweepers, boats, and drones.
This was reported by the Ministry of Defense, Censor.NET reports.
As noted, in December 2023, the United Kingdom, Norway, and Ukraine initiated the creation of the Maritime Capabilities Coalition. Its main tasks are to meet the immediate needs and long-term development of Ukraine's relevant capabilities, ensure freedom and security of civilian navigation, and deter and repel any aggression from the sea.
The "maritime" coalition, in addition to Ukraine, includes 18 other countries - in addition to the leaders, Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, Greece, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Germany, the United States, France, Sweden, Portugal, Poland, Romania, and Turkey.
In addition, Finland, Iceland, and Canada are contributing to the development of Ukraine's maritime capabilities, but they are not yet part of the Coalition. Australia and Japan are considering becoming members.
What the Maritime Coalition provides
The activities of the Maritime Capabilities Coalition are among the least publicized. At the same time, it is known that the member states of the Coalition provide Ukraine with, in particular
- ships and boats
- naval strike weapons;
- surveillance and reconnaissance equipment;
- Mine countermeasures systems;
- strengthening the amphibious capabilities of the Marine Corps;
- training of flotilla and marine personnel.
It is also noted that the Coalition is taking a comprehensive approach to building capabilities - not only supplying ships, helicopters, and other systems but also training their crews and system operators, training technical personnel, and technical support for operation and application.
Among the things that can be confirmed publicly is that the Netherlands and Belgium are handing over 3 Alkmaar-class mine countermeasures ships to Ukraine this year. The United Kingdom, among other capabilities, has already handed over two mine countermeasures ships, Chernihiv and Cherkasy, in early 2023, which are currently based in British ports.
The Ministry of Defense reported that the crews of these ships are currently undergoing intensive training to perform their assigned tasks in accordance with NATO standards. This set of mine countermeasures forces is the basis of the mine countermeasures tactical group, which will directly eliminate the mine threat in Ukrainian waters.
In addition, the United States, the Netherlands, Canada, Sweden, and Finland have provided several boats of various classes and applications: search and rescue, transportation, reconnaissance, and special operations.
In Romania, the Coalition has established a maritime training center to train marines of the Ukrainian Navy.
Reference
In total, eight capability coalitions have been formed within the framework of the Contact Group's work to assist Ukraine: Air Force Coalition, Integrated Air and Missile Defense Coalition, Maritime Capabilities Coalition, Drone Coalition, IT Coalition, Artillery Coalition, Armor and Maneuverability Coalition, and Mine Action Coalition.
On January 9, 2025, the defense ministers of 14 leading nations and Ukraine agreed on roadmaps for all coalitions. This took place during a meeting of the Capability Coalition Leaders Group within the Contact Group on Ukraine's Defense (Ramstein format).
