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Bulgaria could move to double its minehunter fleet

22nd January 2021 - 16:00 GMT | by Richard Thomas in London

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Through the acquisition of new platforms, upgrading existing forces and delving into the second-hand naval market, the Bulgarian Navy is attempting to improve its fleet within a budget that could yet suffer as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Bulgarian Navy could seek to acquire an additional three or four Tripartite-class mine countermeasure vessels (MCMVs) in the next three to five years, as part of an effort to modernise its fleet and move away from ageing Soviet-era platforms.

Currently, the Bulgarian Navy operates three of the Tripartite class acquired from European navies in the past 13 years. The first Tripartite MCMV, Tsibar (pictured), arrived from Belgium in 2007 with two additional vessels (Mesta and Struma) being obtained from the Netherlands in Q4 2020.

Shephard reported in December 2020 that the vessels acquired from the Netherlands will

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