From the end of May to October 2025, the Belgian and French Coast Guards cooperated in a Multipurpose Maritime Operation (MMO) in the southern North Sea. The MMO is a large-scale maritime operation coordinated by the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) and the European Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA), with the support of the EU, organized in support of European Member States.
In the MMO 2025 operation, various Belgian (Flemish and federal) and French Coast Guard authorities joined forces, performing various missions for the purpose of maritime safety, pollution control, environmental protection, fishery control, or border control.
A video about the successful MMO 2025 is now available :
As Belgian Coast Guard partner, the Scientific Service ‘Management Unit of the Mathematical Model of the North Sea (MUMM)’ of the Institute of Natural Sciences took part in the operation. This involved close cooperation with various partners, with the Belgian Navy, the Directorate-General Shipping, the Directorate-General Environment, the Flemish Maritime and Coastal Services, the French authorities and EMSA being of particular interest.
Given the many challenges facing the Coast Guard in the southern North Sea, and the importance of sub-regional cooperation in this regard, preparations are currently underway for a new and even more comprehensive MMO in 2026. Further communication on the MMO 2026 will follow later this year.