BNS Castor

Just as the gods Castor and Pollux protected the city of Rome in mythology, our patrol vessels – named after them – ensure safety at sea to protect us. The 'Castor' was christened in 2014 by Queen Mathilde.

BNS Castor is a Coastal Patrol Vessel (CPV) primarily deployed as a Ready Duty Ship (RDS). This means that 24/7, 365 days a year, at least one ship (BNS Castor or its sister ship BNS Pollux) is always available for immediate intervention within the Belgian part of the North Sea. In this way, a CPV continuously contributes to "safety from the sea."

The duties of the RDS are highly versatile and can be divided into three main pillars:

• Purely military tasks
• Coastguard tasks
• Emergency interventions

These include both operational deployments, such as escorting foreign warships in Belgian waters and maritime military surveillance, as well as training missions in support of or in collaboration with other branches of the armed forces.

These tasks are highly diverse in nature and always seek complementarity with other partners, such as the Maritime Police, Customs & Excise, and the Fisheries Department.

Emergency interventions can occur in a wide range of circumstances, from assisting a sailor in distress to coordinating all government responses during a complex or large-scale disaster at sea.