The Belgian Navy patrol vessel Castor has escorted two Russian ships that were sailing in the Belgian Exclusive Economic Zone of the North Sea on Thursday.
In a statement on the social media site X the Belgian Defence Ministry said that "The Castor patrol vessel has escorted two Russian ships from north to south during their passage through the Belgian Exclusive Economic Zone".
The Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) is an area outside territorial waters, where a country has certain rights. The Belgian Navy escorting non-NATO ships passing through the Belgian EEZ is common. The Castor also escorted three Russian ships through the EEZ in September 2022.
At the time the Defence Ministry said that "Our coastline may only be 67 kilometres long, but levels of maritime traffic in Belgian waters are among the busiest in the world. The Belgian military plays an important role in guaranteeing security and safety in 3,500 km area of sea”.