Romania welcomed with a official ceremony the arrival of a minesweeper, which is part of the joint efforts with Bulgaria and Turkey to clear the Black Sea of mines, BGNES reported.
It is the first of two minesweepers tasked with clearing the Black Sea of mines
The ceremony took place in the port of Kyustenja (Constanza). The minesweeper M 270 Sublieutenant Ion Ghiculescu of the Romanian Navy is the first of two minesweepers acquired under the intergovernmental agreement concluded between Romania and Great Britain. Before passing into Romanian hands, the ship was called HMS Blyth and served in the British Royal Navy.
The ceremony was attended by high-ranking Romanian officials and military officials, including Chief of Defense Staff General Vlad Gyurgitsa and Navy Commander Admiral Mihai Panait. The British frigate Queen Mary had also docked in the Romanian port.
As BGNES has already informed on January 11, 2024 in Istanbul, Bulgaria, Turkey and Romania plan to sign an agreement on a joint plan to search and destroy mines floating in the waters of the Black Sea as a result of the war in Ukraine. The agreement is the result of months of negotiations between the NATO allies and was announced by Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler.
General Vlad Gyurgitsa welcomed the Romanian military
The tripartite initiative includes only the three countries so far. "Due to the war between Ukraine and Russia, there are mines laid in both Ukrainian and Russian ports. They sometimes reach our straits because of the current," Güler explained, adding: "Our demining vessels will carry out constant patrols up to the point where Romania's (sea) borders end."
The British frigate Queen Mary
Britain earlier said it would transfer two Royal Navy minesweepers to the Ukrainian navy as it forms a new maritime defense coalition with Norway to help bolster Ukraine's maritime operations. /BGNES
