Major Oil Pollution Response Exercise Conducted off the Belgian Coast within MMO MSNS 2026

On 17 June, seven Belgian, Dutch and EMSA vessels carried out a major oil pollution response exercise off the coast of Zeebrugge, testing how partners would contain and recover a large oil slick before it could reach sensitive areas such as the Zwin Nature Reserve and the Scheldt estuary.

Aircraft and RPAS detected and monitored the slick, vessels moved into formation, and sweeping arms and skimmers recovered the oil at sea, with ship-to-ship transfer keeping the operation running. The EMSA stand-by vessel Interballast III took part alongside Belgian and Dutch units.

The exercise was coordinated by the Marine Environment Service of the Belgian Federal Public Service (FPS) Public Health and carried out by Belgian Coast Guard partners, in cooperation with Dutch and European organisations.

It was run within the Multipurpose Maritime Operation (MMO) in the La Manche & Southern North Sea area – coordinated by EMSA in close cooperation with Frontex and EFCA – strengthening cross-border marine pollution preparedness and response.