Direct proof of use
The Tripartite class is directly tied to the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War through Belgian and Dutch transfers to the Ukrainian Navy. The Dutch Ministry of Defence reported on 26 June 2025 that Belgian minehunter BNS Narcis and Dutch minehunter Zr.Ms. Vlaardingen had recently been handed over to Ukraine at Zeebrugge, with Vlaardingen renamed Melitopol and Narcis entering the same Ukrainian transfer package.
Dutch defence reporting also documents the training lane before handover. On 3 December 2024, the ministry said 35 Ukrainian sailors had completed training aboard Zr.Ms. Makkum, that Vlaardingen and Makkum would be donated to Ukraine, and that the ships, together with Belgian and British vessels, formed the beginning of Ukraine's mine-countermeasures capacity. Naval News later reported that the former Makkum entered Ukrainian service as Henichesk after a June 2026 handover announcement.
Sources: Belgium and Netherlands donate first minehunters to Ukraine - Defensie.nl, Ukrainian crew trained aboard Zr.Ms. Makkum - Defensie.nl, Ukraine receives ex-Dutch Alkmaar-class minehunter Henichesk - Naval News
Narrative
The documented role of the Tripartite-family minehunters in this conflict is mine-countermeasures capacity building for Ukraine. Dutch material describes the Alkmaar class as the Dutch branch of the international Tripartite class, built jointly by the Netherlands, Belgium, and France, and says Vlaardingen and Makkum were to be donated to Ukraine. The same material describes the class mission as keeping seas, coastal waters, and harbor approaches free of mines, using hull sonar, variable-depth sonar, SeaFox mine-identification and disposal vehicles, and clearance divers.
The transfer addressed the maritime-mining problem created by the war. Dutch defence reporting said Russian sea mines in the Black Sea obstructed safe passage and that Ukraine intended to clear them after the war. During the 2025 handover, the Dutch defence minister linked the donation to maritime security and free passage around Odesa, Black Sea shipping routes, and occupied Ukrainian port cities.
Available sources separate transfer and training from immediate Black Sea employment. Naval News reported that the transferred minehunters remained based in the United Kingdom and that their movement into the Black Sea was restricted while Turkey applied wartime Montreux Convention rules. The same report said the transfer still allowed Ukraine to train crews, establish maintenance arrangements, and develop procedures with NATO navies before eventual deployment to Ukrainian waters.
Sources: Mijnenjagers - Defensie.nl, Ukrainian crew trained aboard Zr.Ms. Makkum - Defensie.nl, Belgium and Netherlands donate first minehunters to Ukraine - Defensie.nl, Ukraine receives ex-Dutch Alkmaar-class minehunter Henichesk - Naval News
