Norway and the UK have agreed to lead a new Maritime Capability Coalition set to transform Ukraine Navy capabilities and counter Russian threats in the Black Sea (Grant Shapps on X)
BELFAST — NATO partners Norway and the UK today jointly launched the Maritime Capability Coalition naval support program, aimed at transforming Ukrainian Navy capabilities, “rapid development” of a Black Sea maritime force and counter Russia’s aggression in the region.
The new initiative will also see Kyiv acquire two UK Royal Navy Sandown Class mine countermeasures vessels (MCMVs), according to the UK Ministry of Defence. The vessels in question were originally commissioned as HMS Grimsby and HMS Shoreham, but have been operating under new names (Chernihiv and Cherkasy respectively), sailing in British waters and with Ukrainian flags for months.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter) today, UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps revealed that British Viking armored amphibious vehicles and Marine raiding craft will also be supplied.
“The new Maritime Capability Coalition will build the support that the UK, Norway, and others are providing to Ukraine,” said the UK MoD. “This will be long term to help Ukraine transform its navy, making it more compatible with western allies, more interoperable with NATO, and bolstering security in the Black Sea.”
Shapps and Norwegian counterpart Bjorn Arild Gram met in London today to formally announce the coalition.
“The new maritime coalition will work closely with the Ukrainian Navy and Ministry of Defence to develop a number of capabilities, including the rapid development of a maritime force in the Black Sea, continuing to develop a Ukrainian Marine Corps, and river patrol craft to defend coastal and inland waterways,” added the UK MoD.
Arild Gram said he hoped Norway’s contribution to the coalition would include “maritime expertise, new technological solutions and innovative thinking.”
London noted that Ukraine’s economy continues to suffer from Russia’s Black Sea blockade, which has “significantly reduced” Kyiv’s ability to send “vital exports by sea,” but the coalition effort to increase maritime capabilities will counter Russia’s sea mines threat and “help restore Ukraine’s maritime exports.”
Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s President welcomed the coalition announcement on X.
“Together, we will strengthen the Ukrainian navy, safeguard maritime transportation routes, and secure freedom of navigation,” he said. “Building on Ukraine’s 2023 victory in the battle for the Black Sea, we will keep Russian terror away from the region and ensure that Ukrainian food exports keep contributing to global food security.”
In terms of the naval equipment set to be acquired by Ukraine, the two 600-tonne (661-ton) Sandown-class vessels are built almost exclusively from non-magnetic materials to avoid detection and are equipped with two underwater remote-controlled mine-disposal vehicles, according to the Royal Navy.
In September, the service sold two retired Sandown vessels, HMS Blyth and HMS Pembroke to Romania, to bolster Black Sea security.
The offshore raiding crafts to be supplied to Ukraine are small boats used by Royal Marines for troop insertion and patrols, while the Viking amphibious vehicles are armored and all terrain capable, said the UK MoD on X.