Today at 13:01
The Belgian government transfers the research vessel “Belgica” to the Ukrainian scientific center of Ecology of Sea of the Ministry of Ecology of Ukraine.
This is reported by UA with the reference to the website of the Ministry of Ecology of Ukraine.
According to the report, the transfer of the vessel will allow Ukraine to restore research and strengthen environmental monitoring of the Black and Azov Seas, and will help to successfully implement the EU directives on the marine environment.
Joint Ukrainian-Belgian scientific research, both in the Black and North Seas, are also planned.
“We are very grateful to the Kingdom of Belgium for such an important gift for Ukraine – the research vessel “Belgica”. We plan to restore scientific research in the Black, and subsequently in the Azov seas already this year. We hope to do this together with our Belgian colleagues” – said Roman Abramovsky, Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine.
The ship will make the transition to Odesa from the Belgian port of Zeebrugge soon. On the way of 8,600 km, scientists will assess the presence of floating debris, take samples of sea water and bottom sediments for a unique screening for tens of thousands of pollutants and microplastics. They will also extract DNA from the environment to assess biodiversity and analyze the distribution of antibiotic resistance genes in marine microorganisms. The ship is expected to arrive in Ukraine in October 2021. It will receive a new name and begin its activities in the Black and Azov Seas.
