A source close to Belgium's recent economic delegation visit to Türkiye has suggested that the possibility of contracting with Turkish Sedef Shipyard to build the country's planned three ASWF (Anti-Submarine Warfare Frigate) frigates is being discussed. This claim, shared by a Belgian user on the social media platform X, has not yet been officially confirmed by any authorities.
According to the post, in the event of a potential contract, all three ships would be built within a 36-month period. This timeline would represent a much faster delivery schedule compared to having the ships built in the Netherlands.
Francken's Visit and Emphasis on Naval Systems
This claim aligns with statements made by Belgian Defence Minister Theo Francken during his recent visit to Türkiye with an economic delegation led by Queen Mathilde. Francken stated that he visited a shipyard in Istanbul and saw domestic frigate production firsthand, emphasising Belgium's need for new frigates and expressing openness to Turkish knowledge and technology.
In an interview with TRT Haber, the Minister said, "I also visited the shipyard and saw the frigates being built. They were very interesting because we need new frigates. We need your knowledge and technology together with ours." In the same interview, Francken noted Belgium's strength in unmanned marine vehicles, emphasising, "We can learn from each other."
The ASWF Programme and Belgium's Frigate Need
Belgium plans to procure a total of 3 new-generation anti-submarine warfare frigates within the framework of the ASWF programme, conducted jointly with the Netherlands. In June 2023, the two countries placed an order for the first 4 ships with the Damen Shipyard and Thales Nederland consortium for a total of €4 billion. Through this programme, Belgium aims to replace the two M-class frigates currently in its inventory, which were acquired second-hand from the Netherlands. However, due to the complexity of the design, there have been reported construction delays, with costs rising from €600 million per ship to around €1 billion.
Sedef Shipyard's Military Ship Track Record: TCG Anadolu and İstif-Class Frigates
Sedef Shipyard's biggest reference in military shipbuilding is undoubtedly TCG Anadolu. The landing helicopter dock, the largest and most valuable platform of the Turkish Naval Forces, was built by Sedef Shipyard with technical support from Spain's Navantia after winning the tender in 2013, and was delivered to the navy in 2023. This 230-metre-long giant platform, with its flight deck allowing helicopter and UAV operations, is considered one of the largest warships after aircraft carriers.
Sedef Shipyard's current military projects are not limited to TCG Anadolu. The shipyard also plays an active role in the İstif-class (İ-class) frigate project, which constitutes the second phase of the MİLGEM programme. Progressing under the main contractor STM, with a total of 8 ships planned, the third ship TCG İzmit (F-517) and the 10th ship are being built at Sedef Shipyard. Sedef is one of three civilian shipyards, along with Anadolu Shipyard and Sefine Shipyard, conducting the simultaneous production of İstif-class frigates.
This capability places the claim that Belgium is considering Sedef for its ASWF frigates on much more plausible ground. Sedef has not only built a major platform like TCG Anadolu but has also gained direct frigate-building experience by actively taking part in the serial production of İstif-class frigates.
Sedef Shipyard was founded in 1972 and has been operating under the Turkon Holding umbrella since 2000. With an annual construction capacity of 600,000 DWT at its 194,000 square metre site in Tuzla, the shipyard is home to one of Türkiye's largest dry docks, suitable for building ships up to 180,000 DWT. Having raised its production quality to European standards through a knowledge transfer and technology sharing agreement with a German shipyard between 2001 and 2005, Sedef holds numerous quality and military standard certificates, from ISO 9001 to AQAP 2110.
Official Confirmation Awaited
At this stage, this information is a claim based on a single, unnamed source. No official statement has been made by either the Belgian Ministry of Defence or Sedef Shipyard on the matter. Nevertheless, Francken's statements during the visit and Belgium's search for fast delivery in its frigate tender make the claim at least worth following.
We will continue to report on developments.
