Bulgarian Navy destroys sea mine off coast near Varna
A Bulgarian Navy team destroyed a sea mine on May 14 that had been spotted about two miles east of Pasha Dere, a beach about 19km from the city of Varna.
A statement by the Defence Ministry said that during a training voyage, the crew of a motor boat sighted the mine.
The minesweeper Struma was deployed to the area.
The mine was identified as of the KPM type. The KPM is a surface-ship launched moored anti-invasion/beach landing contact mine with three chemical horns. First manufactured in the Soviet Union in 1957, it is still in service with some armed forces.
The mine was towed a safe distance into the sea and destroyed with a controlled explosion by the Struma’s specialist team, the Defence Ministry said. During the destruction of the mine, safety measures were strictly followed.
The naval forces continue to maintain readiness for anti-mine actions, with the aim of ensuring safe navigation in Bulgarian waters, the ministry said.
Since Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, there have been occasional incidents involving sea mines in or close to Bulgarian waters, though some of these incidents have involved mines dating from many decades before the 2022 war.
(Photo: Defence Ministry)
